


blinding lights

by riahk



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Holidays, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:55:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28214316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riahk/pseuds/riahk
Summary: Cute fashion blogger and known layabout Hilda Valentine Goneril loves the holidays, but hates work. Aspiring lawyer and notorious workaholic Edelgard von Hresvelg wants her street's annual holiday lights exhibition to be the perfect yuletide event. Unfortunately, Hilda happens to live on that same street, and she's going to need a lot of motivation to meet Edelgard's standards.
Relationships: Hilda Valentine Goneril/Edelgard von Hresvelg
Comments: 15
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

It was the first Saturday of December, and Hilda had the whole house to herself. Claude and Ignatz were at work; Lorenz and Leonie were on a ski trip; and Marianne, Lysithea and Raphael were out running errands, leaving her spread out on the couch, wrapped up in blankets with a warm cup of tea in her hands and a series of crafting videos playing on the TV. She took a sip of her drink and sighed blissfully, sinking back further into the cushions while a cute girl smiled on the screen, teaching her how to crochet stuffed animals. The afternoon was going swimmingly.

Until a rapping at the door stirred her from her comfy seat, followed several seconds later by a ringing of the doorbell — as if the solicitor had taken a moment to notice it. Hilda's first instinct was to let someone else answer. When that didn't work, she remembered she was alone. Her next strategy was to simply pretend no one was home. This didn't work either, as her stillness was met with a more hastened knocking and a familiar voice.

"I can see you through the window, Hilda. Could you please open up?" Even muffled through the wood, Edelgard sounded stern and commanding. Hilda let out a groan, sliding further down into her blankets before rolling reluctantly off the sofa, walking the ten feet to the front door and swinging it open apprehensively.

"Hello, Edelgard," she said, her eyes dulling with barely-concealed annoyance. Edelgard was tapping her foot impatiently on the welcome mat, placing a hand decisively on her hip as she quietly regarded Hilda.

She let the silence go on for one moment longer than necessary before speaking. "Hello, Hilda. I take it you're the only one home today?"

Hilda tilted her head with a huff. "It would seem so," she sighed. "What's so urgent that you absolutely _had_ to have me answer the door?" Her head was already drifting back to her show, as well as the rest of her plans for the afternoon. Or rather the lack thereof.

Edelgard took a deep breath, growing more puzzled by the second. "I'm here about the neighborhood holiday display planning," she explained, and Hilda returned an equally confused scowl. "By any chance," Edelgard continued, "Did you — or Claude or one of your other housemates — take a look at the flyer I left in your mailbox a few weeks ago?"

After thinking about it for a moment, 'holiday display planning' was ringing a bell. "Oh, that," Hilda replied, remembering the brief conversation she’d had with Claude last month, the slip of brightly-colored paper he’d waved in front of her face. Something about how it was a tradition for all the houses on their street to coordinate an impressive show of light decorations during the yuletide season, and would Hilda be interested in representing their house for the event committee? Now, she wasn’t sure what possessed her to agree to such a thing, though it had probably been Claude’s enthusiastic smile. Clearly she’d quickly forgotten about her promise. And clearly she hadn’t realized Ultimate Type-A Personality Edelgard von Hresvelg was heading the project, or maybe she would have thought twice about the decision. Maybe.

Her wandering thoughts were interrupted again by the woman still waiting on the doorstep. “We never received a response from your house, so I wanted to make sure you’d have a representative at the meeting,” Edelgard said.

“Oh, yes!” Hilda exclaimed, happy to be told exactly what Edelgard wanted. And she would happily give it to her, if it meant she could be done with this whole exchange. “Everything’s been so busy that it must have slipped my mind,” she said with a casual shrug. “I’ll just make a note to double-check that schedule later, and you can be sure to see us there!” By ‘us’, Hilda of course meant whichever of her more responsible housemates she could rope into attending. Probably Lorenz; he loved any and all extravagance. And nothing said extravagance more than colored bulbs, inflatable snowmen and an exuberant utilities bill.

She made off to search for a notebook, but Edelgard spoke again. “Excellent. The meeting is in half an hour.”

Hilda felt her heart drop into her stomach. “Pardon?”

Edelgard showed no indication of noticing Hilda’s sudden nervousness, continuing onward with an impressive focus. “Over at the recreation center. I’m actually headed there now; I can give you a ride, to save some time.”

Oh. This woman was good. Hilda could feel the walls closing in on her, the pleasant dreams of her leisurely afternoon melting away before her eyes. There was no point attempting to argue with Edelgard; she was uncharmable, immune to even Claude’s most persuasive words. “Alright, just let me– uh.” Hilda tried to stall further, but she knew it only delayed the inevitable. Her gaze settled beyond Edelgard, now noticing the red sports car waiting at her curb, the engine still running. And the dark silhouette of Hubert von Vestra in the driver’s seat. Even more unsettling motivation for her to get herself to this meeting.

Defeated, Hilda marched back inside to grab her jacket and purse, slipping on her shoes and joining Edelgard on the porch. The door clicked shut behind her. “Lead the way,” she said, motioning down the front steps and onward to reluctant responsibility.

—

They arrived at the rec center ten minutes early, leaving Hilda to plop down impatiently into one of the conference room chairs and watch as Edelgard and Hubert silently reviewed their notes. The white board behind them slowly became filled with various tasks and topics for discussion: themes, event scheduling, managing street closures and foot traffic… the list seemed to get more and more dizzying with each increasingly logistical point that was added. Hilda found herself pondering how many hours of work this would take, as well as just how frustrated Edelgard already was with her.

Before this afternoon, there were only two, maybe three other times Hilda had interacted with Edelgard since moving into the neighborhood back in October, and Hilda liked it perfectly well that way. Claude had spent significantly more time with the woman — they were both interning at the same firm — and he always looked exhausted when recounting his conversations with the Hresvelg heiress. Indeed, as much as she loved their new house and neighborhood, there was something intimidating about Edelgard living across the street, always ready to rope them into whatever community involvement happened to be relevant. Hilda swiveled nonchalantly in her seat, watching Edelgard's face scrunch up in thought as Hubert diligently transferred her calculated thoughts onto the board. She couldn't help but marvel at the sheer amount of productivity concentrated into such a small body.

As the hour approached, several more committee members arrived, faces Hilda recognized from her strolls around the block. They exchanged pleasantries with Edelgard, who met each of them with a formal smile. All except one, whose dramatic entrance seemed to make both her and Hubert's hair stand on end.

"Edelgard! Hubert! I did not realize you had both already left the house." Ferdinand von Aegir was looking incredibly festive in a bright red cardigan layered over an emerald green turtleneck, his sunny orange curls cascading beautifully over the fabric. Hilda had been meaning to ask him what products he was using.

Edelgard reigned in a sigh, not looking up from her papers despite the colorful man approaching her seat. "We only need one representative from each house, Ferdinand."

He barreled on nonetheless. "Ah, but you and Hubert are running the meeting, so I thought my presence could be helpful," he said, and Hilda saw Edelgard suppress a frown.

This was good, actually, Hilda thought. If Edelgard was too annoyed with her overbearing roommate, it would take the attention off her and her desire to take on as little work as possible. She felt Ferdinand's bright eyes on her. "Oh, Hilda," he acknowledged, a cute glint of confusion crossing his expression. "What a surprise to see you here. I was positive it was going to be Claude. Or Lorenz. Or any other one of your housemates, actually."

Never mind. This was not helping her situation at all.

Luckily, the meeting time had finally arrived, and Edelgard was nothing if not punctual. "Take a seat, Ferdinand," she muttered, before addressing the whole table. Her voice carried through the room with a demanding power. "Thank you all for showing up to our first planning meeting for the Garreg Mach Holiday Lights Exhibition. As most of you know, I'm Edelgard von Hresvelg, this year's committee chair. I'm looking forward to seeing everybody's decorative talents for another season, and to having everyone's assistance in getting the word out on the exhibition and corresponding block party. The charity we'll be raising funds for this year is…"

Hilda stifled a yawn and proceeded to zone out, Edelgard's droning voice oddly relaxing to her ears. But it wasn't long until she was on the spot again. "Some of you may have met her already, but this is Hilda Goneril," Edelgard said, motioning toward the object of her attention — and now the entire table's. "She and her friends moved in very recently, so please give her a warm welcome." Hilda blushed, not necessarily hating the neighbors waving and smiling at her. Still, she sensed a lot of expectations she was unprepared to meet. Edelgard spoke again. "Would you like to say a few words, Hilda?"

She absolutely would not, and certainly Edelgard knew this, but speaking was easy enough for Hilda. "Hello, everyone," she sang. "I'm Hilda, and I love the holidays." That was true, actually. She'd even helped put up the minimal decorations their house already had out. Stringing up lights had been plenty of work, which was another reason she did not want to be here asking for more. "It's incredible how much effort everyone is putting in to keep this tradition alive. I'm pretty new at this, so I might need some pointers, but I'm sure I can rely on you lovely decoration veterans to make this happen!" As she finished, her gaze settled on Edelgard, who met her with a satisfactory nod.

"Thank you, Hilda," she said, taking back the floor. "And speaking of decorations, we'll be finalizing themes and making sure everybody has the resources they need to make their displays as beautiful as our standards demand." Somehow Hilda felt like that statement was pointed specifically at her. Edelgard flipped through her notes briefly. "Hubert and I have gone through most of the preliminary planning stages, but we're three weeks out and the tasks are going to begin piling up fast. For that we'll be dividing up work on a volunteer basis, though I expect each of you to own at least one aspect of the preparations."

Back to zoning out. Hilda's eyes glazed over as Edelgard continued on about raffles and catering and caroling, and various members stepped up to the plate to take on these responsibilities. It was all much more than Hilda had expected, and she couldn't help but be impressed by how well Edelgard managed to keep track of all the moving pieces, delegating appropriately. "We need someone to handle our social media accounts, for promotion purposes," Edelgard explained. "Hilda, I think that's right up your alley. Could you take care of that, please?"

"Sure," Hilda mumbled unthinkingly, her eyes set on the table, making out faces and other shapes in the wood grains. Wait, why had she agreed?!

"Excellent, thank you," Edelgard continued, scribbling something down. "I'll send you the details on that later. While we're on the topic of you, I think you'd be a good person to ask for handling decoration supplies and general design cohesion, as well."

"Oh, um—" Hilda broke off, unable to formulate a proper excuse before Edelgard shot her with another stern look. "Well, I do need to get some more pieces for my own house's display, so I suppose I could…"

The woman was a witch. How did she manage to be so persuasive? "Sounds good," Edelgard confirmed with a pleased smile. It was like she got off on telling other people what to do. No wonder she kept Hubert and Ferdinand around.

Thankfully the meeting concluded in just under an hour, with Edelgard promising to send out emails to all the relevant parties with their task lists and expected check-ins, as well as scheduling for future meetings (of which Hilda noted an aggravatingly large number). As the sound of idle chatter and footsteps thudding over to the hallway flooded Hilda’s ears, she rose stiffly from her seat and made her way to the door, excited to get out of there.

“Could you stay for a few more moments, Hilda?” Edelgard called, freezing her in her tracks. Hilda grimaced silently, but managed to wipe it from her face before turning back around to meet her neighbor. As she beamed at the other woman, she also realized that Edelgard was her ride home, anyway.

Hilda closed the door to the hallway, stepping over to face the three overachievers peering back at her. Ferdinand and Hubert went back to discussing the exhibition schedule while Edelgard rose from her seat, looking at Hilda with what appeared to be sympathy. “This must all be a bit overwhelming,” Edelgard said with surprising understanding. Hilda braced for the catch. “I can certainly talk to Claude about handling some of this, but I really do think you’d do a better job at this sort of thing than him.”

She couldn’t believe her ears. Edelgard was using the exact same tactics Hilda often used to get others to do her work for her: buttering her up, acting like she was the only one who could do this well. Worst of all is that Edelgard was right; Hilda already did social media management for her own job, and she knew how to make something look good. “It’s certainly a lot, especially being so new to the house,” Hilda agreed. “Like I said, I’ll likely need a lot of help.”

“Well, I’ll be here to keep you on track,” Edelgard promised, though the way she said it was more sinister than comforting. Hubert’s ears perked up, and he took a step over to observe their conversation further, his looming presence giving Hilda goosebumps.

“Are you sure about this, Edelgard? We already have so much on our plates, and we don’t have time to baby slackers,” he said. Hilda’s jaw dropped incredulously at his lack of tact. “Say what you will about Dimitri, but at least his house knew what they were doing when it came to planning festivities.”

The name was familiar, and Hilda quickly recalled meeting her house’s previous occupants briefly. It was still unclear what exactly happened to trigger their moving out — her friends close to the situation only ever mumbled something vague about ‘the incident’ — but it didn’t have much impact on her. Aside from her own diligence — or lack thereof — apparently being held to more lofty standards.

Edelgard sighed. “Yes, Ingrid and Sylvain were excellent planners, but they don’t live here anymore. Hilda is what we have to work with at the moment, so let’s focus on that, shall we?” Actually, Hilda very much did not want this attention right now. She just wanted to get home to her tea and the remnants of her lazy Saturday. “Forgive Hubert’s rudeness,” Edelgard continued, fixing Hilda with another arresting stare. “I need to go to the hardware store to get a few extra strings of lights, and I was thinking it would be an excellent opportunity for you to pick up some supplies yourself.”

It was technically a suggestion, but coming from Edelgard it was more like a foregone conclusion. Hilda was already growing tired of resisting. It was consuming more energy at this point than going with the flow, so she shrugged and accepted that her afternoon was going to be full of more chores. “Sure,” she breathed. “It’s not like I have anything better to do!”

—

At the store, Edelgard maintained her same focused demeanor as Hilda followed her listlessly through the aisles. “That might work…” she mumbled to herself as Hilda scrolled through her phone. Her gaze shifted as they turned another corner and found themselves face to face with a whole fleet of outdoor inflatables. “I think you could use a couple more of these, Hilda,” Edelgard said, pointing to a series of Santas doing increasingly more bizarre activities.

“Ah, so you _have_ been secretly judging our yard,” Hilda replied, scrutinizing a series of inflatable penguins. “I’m a bigger fan of the wireframe ones, anyway. Inflatables feel a bit tacky.”

“If that’s what you’re looking for, you want the next aisle over,” a husky voice called from behind them. Hilda glimpsed Edelgard stiffening from the corner of her eye as they both turned around, face to face with a navy-haired woman dressed in dark colors and bundled in a studded leather jacket. Hilda found her familiar, her name on the tip of her tongue. “Hey, Edelgard,” she continued in her rumbling voice. Hilda kept searching for a name. Beth? Bella?

“Hello, Byleth,” Edelgard replied nervously. Hilda detected a sudden change in her shopping partner, but at the moment she was too busy processing Byleth Eisner. They’d met before, probably through Claude, but Hilda had never really had a conversation with her. Edelgard clearly had.

She was oddly quiet after the greeting. “Thanks for the heads up,” Hilda chimed in. “Do you, like, work here?”

Byleth shook her head, “Oh, no. I work with Edelgard and Claude,” she said. “I’m here a lot, though, so I have most of the sections memorized,” she added, twirling a finger around playfully. Her gaze fell back on Edelgard with a smile. “Are you getting even more decorations, Edel? I thought you already had a pretty kickass display.”

Edelgard flushed, running a hand through her bright hair. “Oh, just picking up a couple things for the side-yard. And lending Hilda a hand, since she’s new to the whole neighborhood lights show.” Her voice was bubbly, light, warm like milk foam, and Hilda had to struggle to keep a straight face. To pretend that Edelgard hadn’t just gone through a sudden personality change.

A lightbulb was alighting in her head as Edelgard and Byleth continued their conversation, something about work or another topic Hilda had no interest in — certainly not more than the idea she currently had formulating, anyway. “You live with Claude, right?” Byleth asked, eyes meeting Hilda’s. “I’m excited to see what display you come up with for the house.” There was something flat, but strangely alluring about the way Byleth spoke, like she was both down to earth and a space cadet at the same time.

“It certainly sounds like the bar is high,” Hilda replied. “But I’m going to try my best.” Her eyes flicked to Edelgard, then over to the next aisle. “Speaking of which, I need to get to the wireframes you mentioned,” she added. “Which way again?” she asked, already waltzing away.

“Down and to the right,” Byleth called after Hilda as she started back the way they’d come in.

Edelgard kept talking as Hilda walked. “It was nice seeing you, Byleth—“

“You coming, Edelgard?” Hilda asked, loudly, as she approached the end of the aisle. She heard Edelgard mumble an affirmation and give a quick goodbye to Byleth before shuffling up behind her. They went right and looped back around into the next row. Hilda kept her gaze set dead ahead as Edelgard caught up with her.

When Edelgard spoke again, it was back to how Hilda remembered it. “Wasn’t expecting to see her here—“

“What the hell was that?” Hilda snapped, boots squeaking to a halt on the tile. Edelgard responded with a blank look and a shrug. “Don’t play dumb, Edelgard. You were a completely different person back there.”

Light pink dusted her cheeks again, though not as pronounced as before. There was a brief pause as she considered how to word her denial. Or that’s what Hilda expected; instead she just asked, voice a whisper: “Is it that obvious?”

Hilda rolled her eyes. “Oh, Goddess,” she groaned, still reeling from the mental whiplash of the two Edelgards she’d now observed. “Maybe not to Miss Eisner out there, but yes. It’s very obvious that you have a crush, too, at least to me. And likely to anyone else who’s ever seen you two interact.”

Edelgard’s eyes shifted back over to the shelves. “Hilda, please keep your voice down…” If there’d been any doubt left in her mind, Edelgard’s shy frown dissipated it all. Hilda hit the nail on the head. Now, she just had to decide what to do with that information.

“Alright, we’ll talk about this later,” Hilda said, her attention switching to the actual decorations she was there to buy.

“I’d prefer if we didn’t talk about it at all,” Edelgard muttered, regaining her usual composure.

“Oh, I think this is the one,” Hilda interrupted, stopping in front of one of the displays. It was a great stag shaped in gold lights, adorned in red and green ribbons and silver antlers. She took a closer look at the label, her gaze flicking teasingly back to Edelgard. “How am I supposed to help you out if we don’t talk about it?” She made to pick up the box, hefting it into the air with casual ease. “Ah, we left the cart in the next aisle,” she said, her voice muffled through cardboard.

They marched back to their cart, Byleth already long gone. “I’m serious, Hilda. I don’t need your help," Edelgard pleaded.

“Like hell you don’t,” Hilda growled, wheeling towards the checkout. Edelgard didn’t seem in the mood to protest, and Hilda was going to take this opportunity to dip. “Listen, _Edel_ ,” she teased, enjoying the way Edelgard’s nose scrunched up in embarrassment. They came to a stop at the counter, and Hilda began unloading their cargo. “I know how to make people like me. I’m very good at it.” Edelgard slid past her, pulling out her wallet. Hilda stayed close to her, voice low. “And I can give you a few pointers so that next time you run into big ol’ doe eyes back there, you’re not so paralyzed by your feelings that your brain turns to mush.”

Edelgard leaned against the cash register as the attendant scanned their items. “That wouldn’t be the worst thing, I suppose,” she mumbled, inserting her card. “If I tell you I’ll consider it, would you at least leave me alone for the rest of the day?”

Bingo. “I would absolutely love to leave you alone,” Hilda said. “But as you brought up in the meeting earlier, there is a lot to do and you’re determined to have me help you do it. I may as well help you with your flirting game while I’m at it.”

“We’re actually just about done with today’s errands,” Edelgard said, surprisingly not displaying any adverse reaction to Hilda's use of 'flirting'. “I was planning to head home after this.” Hilda nodded as they headed for the exit, confused by the disappointment blooming in her chest; she very much wanted to get back to her sofa, but teasing Edelgard was the first fun thing to happen all afternoon. Edelgard continued, insistently: “So again, can we agree to just not talk about this — about Byleth — for the rest of the day, at least?”

Hilda exhaled, exasperated. “Fine,” she said as they approached the street. Her eyes scanned over the cart and the parking lot. “So Hubert and Ferdinand dropped us off,” she began. “How are we getting home?”

“I’ve got a ride on the way,” Edelgard explained, typing away on her phone. As if summoned by her words, a wine-colored pickup truck with festive antler ears hanging out of the doors pulled up to the curb. An excited, cyan-haired face peeked out of the driver’s side window. Edelgard gave him a light wave.

“Hey, Hilda!” Caspar von Bergliez called from the vehicle as both women began loading their cargo. Of course, Hilda thought. More men who seemed ready to follow Edelgard's every whim. She was impressed, fascinated even, and Hilda felt the tiniest glimmer of a competitive streak sparking in her chest. The looming threat of a challenge that Hilda found herself oddly motivated to confront.

But through some show of divine grace (or perhaps it was a holiday miracle?), Hilda had discovered Edelgard's weakness. She'd watched organized, functional, head-bitch-in-charge Edelgard von Hresvelg fall into the clutches of blind infatuation. And Hilda was sure as hell going to use that knowledge to her advantage. It was unclear how exactly she would utilize Edelgard's slip to get out of work, but Hilda knew she would figure something out. She always did. As she slid into the backseat of Caspar's truck, his and Edelgard's conversation blurred into the background as Hilda began her brilliant plotting.

This holiday season had just gotten interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hilda makes progress with her house decorations (by getting someone else to do the hard work). She also gets a lead on Edelgard’s crush, and begins working her matchmaking magic.

It was Sunday afternoon, and the weather was perfect. Garreg Mach rarely got snow, especially not in December, and today the sun was shining brightly, seasonal leaves floating quietly through the crisp late fall air. Hilda wanted nothing more than to sit out on one of the reclining porch chairs, light a scented candle and get to work on making gifts for all her friends. Instead, the work she found herself doing was less relaxing and more strenuous and sweat-inducing.

“You know, Hilda,” Claude called up from the ground. “I think this job would be easier if you took off your heels to do it.” Hilda turned back for a moment to look at him, her hands full of string lights. Claude’s hands steadied the wobbly base of the ladder, his green eyes full of concern.

“I’ll be fine,” Hilda sang, returning to her task. “But if you’re so worried, you’re welcome to swap places with me.” Unfortunately, Claude was already used to most of her usual tricks to avoid work. The suggestion got no bites, but it was worth a shot. At least the lights were nearly done.

Meanwhile, Leonie and Lorenz (mostly Leonie, from the look of things) were setting up the centerpiece of their display: the stag Hilda had picked up at the store stood glorious and dignified in the middle of the lawn. As Hilda descended the ladder to move onto the next section of the rafters, she felt a swell of pride upon seeing her personal contribution get so much attention. Her feeling of victory was dulled, however, when she realized that this productivity would never have been possible without the insistent prodding of Edelgard. The sculpture acted as a bizarre monument to her neighbor’s tenacity.

Upon remembering the new thorn in her side, Hilda fished out her phone and pulled up her latest correspondence with Edelgard.

**> Hilda:** look out the window! our house yard day is going great :)

**> Edelgard:** Very nice, Hilda. Can’t wait to see how it looks in the evening

**> Hilda:** once you gaze upon our glorious display, you may have to step up your game!

**> Hilda:** by the way… it’s been a day. when are we gonna discuss your plan to win byleth over by christmas?

There was still no response to the final question, but that was about what Hilda expected. She smiled, relishing the power she had to make Edelgard so eager to avoid talking, something she imagined would come in handy later. “Hilda,” Claude called, coaxing her back over to the ladder. She slid the device back into her pocket and followed along, soles clacking with determination against the metal steps.

After finishing with the lights, Hilda took a self-awarded break on the porch steps, grabbing a beer from the cooler and observing the bustling activity still playing out across the yard. Her attention was quickly drawn to the tall figure slowly approaching from across the street. Dorothea Arnault gave her a sly wave as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs, leaning against the brick flank. “You’re looking uncharacteristically busy over here, Hilda,” she said with a smile. “When Edelgard said you’d joined the committee, I thought she was playing a prank on me.”

Hilda motioned around them with a playful shrug. “Let’s just say I’ve already learned a thing or two from her about delegating,” she joked, beckoning Dorothea up to join her. The other woman climbed the steps, helped herself to a drink and settled down next to her, their shoulders bumping close together. “It’s only a matter of time before Claude puts me to work again, though, so let’s enjoy this while we can.”

Dorothea hummed, resting her elbows on her knees. “Don’t work too hard. Edelgard is determined to win the competition this year, and I’ve already been on five decoration runs with her. It’s not even mid-December.” Hilda laughed, trying to imagine Dorothea of all people following Edelgard like a puppy. It was a busy time of year for a singer, what with all the community choir shows and events that demanded live entertainment. Not to mention she would be seen caroling around the neighborhood soon.

At least Dorothea loved her job, no matter how hectic it seemed to get. Hilda wished she could say the same about her current responsibilities. Her mind wandered back to Edelgard. "You should have seen her at the meeting yesterday. I don't know what fuel Edelgard is running on, but it's unnatural for anyone to be that hard-working around the holidays," she said.

"She's extra determined this year," Dorothea replied. "I think she's bummed out that Dimitri moved out and isn't participating this year — she misses her rival, and she's trying to light a fire under your ass to motivate herself."

"That makes no sense," Hilda said, massaging her temple with her fingers. "She's trying to get me to work harder… so she can subsequently do _more_ work… all for the sake of a more satisfying competition?"

The question was met with a shrug. "It's just a guess," Dorothea continued. "Our house won the voting last year, but the judges' choice went to Dimitri's display. Knowing Edelgard, she wanted a chance at a more decisive victory."

No matter how much Hilda tried to wrap her head around it, she couldn't understand the logic. She took a sip of her beer and decided to follow the other mystery she'd been pursuing. "What do you know about Byleth Eisner?"

Dorothea raised a curious eyebrow, her eyes shimmering with a secret. "You've met the professor? What an interesting development," she mused. "As the title suggests, she works at the university. Edelgard took one of her classes last year… and now they're working at the same firm."

"Edelgard is hot for teacher," Hilda whispered, staring off into space. She worried for a moment that she'd said too much, but a knowing sigh from Dorothea told her otherwise.

"So you know that part too," she said, placing a hand on the back of her neck.

"We both ran into her at the hardware store yesterday. I couldn't believe what I was seeing," Hilda replied, still able to vividly picture Edelgard's flustered look, to hear the breathy uncertainty in her voice. "Proof that she's not a hyper-productive robot, I suppose."

Dorothea laughed into her bottle. "You're really digging into her," she said, and Hilda blushed guiltily. She didn't mean to be so negative about Edelgard; in fact, the more she learned about her the more exhausted she felt. But there was something compelling about the whole situation that Hilda couldn’t quite place, a fascination that made it difficult for her to lay off. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Dorothea continued. “You’re diametric opposites when it comes to work ethic. What I don’t understand is why you’re suddenly so invested in helping her out.”

Hilda frowned. “It’s not complicated. I just want to lend a hand with her love life, you know? That girl clearly needs to get laid.” Dorothea looked at her wide-eyed, and Hilda cut in before she could say anything more. “What, are you going to argue that? You live with her. Surely you can sense the sexual frustration.” Dorothea shook her head, motioning to Hilda to continue. “Maybe if I can help her get a date — something I’m actually good at — then she’ll soften up a bit and ease up on all the work. Which, by proxy, will free up _my_ work.” Yes. This made sense. Hilda beamed proudly to have talked through that little exercise.

“And you thought Edie’s motivation was convoluted…” Dorothea mumbled, waving dismissively when Hilda gave her a puzzled look. “Never mind. I have some tips for you.”

“About Byleth?” Hilda asked eagerly. “I still don’t know much about her, so a bit of context would make it easier to help Edelgard.”

Dorothea shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about her either. She’s a bit difficult to read, and I haven’t spent much time with her.” A hand fell onto Hilda’s knee, calming the nervous bouncing she hadn’t been aware of. “But if you want to keep Edelgard happy, you’re going to need more decorations,” she said, sweeping a hand over the lawn scene. “This is lovely, but trust me, it’s not enough.”

A groan rumbled out of Hilda’s throat. “Are you serious? The house looks like the spirit of Christmas exploded all over it!” It was an exaggeration, especially compared to many of the other houses on the street, but she didn’t want to make another trip to the store.

“Focus, Hilda,” Dorothea said with a clap of her hands. “Dimitri and his friends moved out, but I think Sylvain still has all of the old decorations. Their new place is way too small to put all of them up, and I’m sure you could borrow some. And they did almost win the competition last year, so it would certainly give you a leg up.”

“I dunno, Dorothea. I’m trying to avoid doing any extra work here,” Hilda said. The idea of leaving the house on a Sunday was certainly not ideal.

The other woman rolled her eyes, leaning in close. “Listen, I know for a fact that Sylvain is extremely disappointed to not be able to compete this year. He is _dying_ to put up some Christmas lights,” she breathed. “Trust me. He can help you out, so you can focus on working your matchmaking magic.”

She did like the prospect of making Sylvain do work for her. And as much as she hated to admit it, winning the light competition would be a big highlight of her holiday season. “Alright,” she decided. “I’ll pay him a visit,” she said, her words laced with determination. She downed the rest of her beer, shivering excitedly as she imagined the yard fully lit up in vibrant, festive cheer. And the look on Edelgard’s face when she beat her at her own game.

“Hey, Hilda! Get off your ass and come help me with the candy cane fence!” Claude yelled from the front gate. She exhaled sharply, reluctantly rolling up to stand as Dorothea patted her shoulder sympathetically.

“I’ll pay him a visit… after I put up the candy cane fence.”

—

Dimitri’s new townhouse was absolutely a downgrade, but at least it was close enough for Hilda to walk to. Dorothea had been right; the yard was nearly non-existent, and while the facade wasn’t bad to look at, it was narrow and didn’t have much real estate for decorations. Not that that had stopped its occupants from covering all the rafters in string lights, hanging a massive wreath from the front door and placing an array of miniature sculptures along the small wooden veranda. Most impressive was the illuminated pine trim and ribbons that spiraled up the railing of the stairway. Overall, it was much more sophisticated than Hilda would have expected from a group of men in their twenties.

“Faerghus takes the holidays very seriously,” Sylvain explained, standing proudly next to Hilda with a remote in his hands. “Watch this—”

“Don’t care right now, Sylvain,” Hilda shushed him. “I want to see the goods.”

His mouth morphed into an exaggerated pout that Hilda managed to resist, and he guided her over to the garage entrance, hitting a different button on the remote. Hilda’s eyes widened as the door raised up to reveal a veritable treasure trove of fixtures, garlands and yard sculptures. It made her already-accessorized house look tame by comparison. It made the hardware store look understocked by comparison. Hilda was uncertain how they’d managed to cram this much stuff into such a small garage. “And you’re willing to lend me… all of this?” she asked, stepping up to examine the horde more closely.

“Absolutely,” Sylvain said. “It’s doing nothing just sitting here, and Felix is really getting sick of having to park on the street.”

“I’m sure he is,” Hilda replied nonchalantly, picking up a box of giant shatterproof orb ornaments. “Ooh, these are nice,” she cooed, swapping the collection in favor of one made of lights. “These would be perfect hanging from the trees out front,” she mused to herself, then turned back to Sylvain with a mischievous smile. “You must be going crazy not having anywhere to put these up.”

Sylvain laughed knowingly. “Did Dorothea tell you that?”

“Wait,” Hilda interrupted, already losing interest as something in the middle of the pile caught her eye. “What is _that_?”

“What’s– oh. Oh, you found the jackpot, Hilda. I completely forgot we had that.”

“Well, help me dig it out!” she commanded, pushing aside a coil of lights before Sylvain stepped in. She watched as he hefted a sculpture, about four feet tall, from the supplies, setting it down in front of Hilda. He began unraveling the power cord as she marveled at the piece in front of her: it depicted a frozen pond and a small boat adorned in lights and ornaments. In the boat sat a giant bass in a santa hat, holding a fishing rod that dangled into the pond. “This… this has to be the weirdest holiday decoration I’ve ever seen,” she muttered, too awestruck to look away.

The piece illuminated as Sylvain walked back from the outlet, leaning down to Hilda’s ear. “It sings,” he said, beaming proudly.

“You’re kidding me,” she replied. “Is it custom-made?”

Sylvain’s shrug only managed to intrigue her further. “It appeared mysteriously,” he began, his voice full of whimsy. “Dimitri was gone for a weekend. Nobody knew where he went. When he returned he immediately set this up in the yard, and offered no explanation. Trust me, we asked.”

Hilda almost wished she hadn’t. “You and your friends are really fucking weird, Sylvain.”

“Do you want to hear it sing or not?” he asked, leaning down behind the boat.

She looked him dead in the eye, unable to resist. “Of course I do,” she said softly.

He hit a switch, and after a brief moment a festive tune spilled out from the speakers (which Hilda was strangely unable to locate). The fish’s mouth flapped this way and that to the words. Hilda and Sylvain absolutely could not look away, so enthralled were they by the mysterious singing bass. As the melody — a sweet ditty composed of bells and guitar — faded out, their dazed expressions held fast as they turned to face each other.

“I don’t know what just happened,” Hilda finally said. “But I think I need this fish in my yard.”

Sylvain retreated to the outlet, re-coiling the wire. "I can bring it over whenever you need it, along with the rest of this," he told her.

She stepped back into the garage, rummaging through more pieces. "I definitely don't need all of it, but I'll let you know," she said. Her gaze inevitably drifted back to the fish sculpture. "And I don't think anything beats that," she added, the song still echoing in her mind.

"I honestly think it's the reason we won the judges' pick last year," Sylvain admitted. "Between Flayn, Byleth and Seteth, the judge panel is pretty skewed toward—"

"Hold it," Hilda cut in. "Did you just say Byleth? As in Byleth Eisner?"

“Uh, yeah. The cute professor Edelgard is totally crushing on,” Sylvain confirmed.

The pieces were connecting in Hilda’s head. “Edelgard is hot for teacher,” she repeated. “And teacher is judging the exhibition.” No wonder Edelgard was pouring her heart and soul into this project; she couldn’t win Byleth over with her decorations last year, and this was her shot at both redemption and impressing her crush. “This just got so much weirder. I love it.”

Her first instinct was to whip out her phone, but when she slid the device from her pocket Hilda was pleasantly surprised to find she had a new message from the hopeless romantic herself. Hilda was so thrilled to read what Edelgard had to say that she didn’t even stop Sylvain from peeking over her shoulder, grinning in confusion.

**> Edelgard:** Hey, could I come over? I have something important to review with you

**> Edelgard:** it’s work-related

“Ugh, of course it’s work-related,” Hilda groaned, furiously typing out a reply. “We’ll see what we can do about that.”

**> Hilda:** cool I'll be home in fifteen minutes!

She stuffed her phone away and began walking off, Sylvain calling frantically behind her. "Hey! What about the decorations?"

Hilda craned her neck upwards, noting the fading late-afternoon daylight. "Bring them tomorrow," she yelled back, turning to face him as she continued to step backwards along the sidewalk. "A girl in need is asking for my help, and I have to answer. I think you of all people can understand that, right?"

He scoffed, but still nodded in agreement, relaxing into a slow wave as Hilda continued to get further and further away. "Alright, sounds like a plan!" She could barely hear him as he added: "And be careful, Hilda. Holiday romance is a dangerous game!" The warning fell on mostly deaf ears as Hilda shook her head determinedly; the gears in her head were already turning, meticulously formulating a plan to help Edelgard von Hresvelg achieve the most romantic damn holiday season possible.

—

One hour later and Edelgard was seated at Hilda’s desk, eyes on the computer screen as she robotically went over the relevant social media accounts Hilda would be tasked with managing. She’d already grasped the gist of it twenty minutes earlier, but Edelgard seemed insistent on reviewing every last minute detail, consistently prompting her fellow organizer to make sure she understood her responsibilities. “Did you get that, Hilda?”

This was boring her to death, but she was, in fact, paying attention. “Yes, Edelgard,” she sighed.

“I think it’s a bit difficult for you to follow my instructions when you’re staring at the ceiling like that,” the other woman coolly observed. Hilda huffed, rolled from her comfortable position on top of her covers and joined Edelgard at the desk, wresting the mouse from her hands.

“You gave me this job, Edelgard. Trust me to do it,” she said, repeating back the steps Edelgard had just demonstrated, but three times faster. “For someone the same age as me, you don’t seem particularly well-tuned to the intricacies of the internet,” she added. As Hilda leaned further and further into Edelgard’s shoulder, the latter finally slid out of the chair as the former took her place. Hilda remained focused on the screen, catching a peripheral glimpse of Edelgard shrugging awkwardly, eyes wandering around the room.

After half a minute of silence — save for her fingers clacking away quickly on the keyboard — Hilda finally swiveled to face her guest, scrutinizing her anxious expression. “You really don’t like sitting still, do you?” she asked, leaning back to rest her heels on the edge of the desk. “Get comfortable. Unless you’re done supervising and want to head home.”

Edelgard turned to look at her, her gaze cloudy. “This was just about everything we needed to talk about,” she said, even as she sat down tentatively on the edge of the bed. Hilda was no longer doing work, instead scrolling through her timeline in one window and reading an article on trendy winter looks in another. The lack of protest from behind her was curious, but Hilda wasn’t about to question Edelgard’s silence so long as it was convenient for her. In fact, it was the perfect time to move on from the boring business talk and onto something more interesting.

Before she could get another word out, Edelgard spoke abruptly. “Were you serious about what you said, yesterday?” she asked, shyly. There was only one topic capable of rendering Edelgard so timid, and it was coincidentally the very one Hilda was trying to steer them towards. She smiled in soft shock; she hadn’t expected this to be so easy.

“Serious about what?” she responded, fluttering her eyelids as she turned slowly to meet Edelgard’s gaze. Her voice must have been too coy, because even in her current state Edelgard quickly caught on to the innocent act.

Not that it kept her from elaborating. “About helping me out with… with Byleth.”

Hilda rose from the chair, taking a seat next to Edelgard excitedly. “I was dead serious,” she said with a giggle. She climbed further onto the bed, beckoning Edelgard over, offering her a throw pillow and blanket. “We can get started right now, if you’re not busy.” Hilda continued to get cozy as Edelgard hesitantly crawled closer, which she took as a silent agreement. “Oh, I’m going to need your phone,” she added.

That didn’t go over well. “Why?” Edelgard asked suspiciously, even as she reached for her purse.

“I need to see how you’ve been talking to this girl,” Hilda explained, slightly concerned with the blank look Edelgard was giving her. “You know. Texting. Chatting. The prelude to flirting?”

Edelgard held her phone close to her chest. “I… I don’t have Byleth’s phone number.”

Sweet Sothis, Hilda thought. This was worse than the time she had to explain proper cunnilingus techniques to Lorenz. “You work together,” she began, still processing her shock. “You must have some way of contacting her.”

“We use email,” Edelgard told her. “But only for business. I don’t even know what I would say to her otherwise.”

Hilda could feel a headache coming on, but she persisted onward. “Ask her about her interests? What she does on the weekend? Surely you have normal conversations in person,” she tried, bracing for the next ridiculous thing Edelgard would say.

“We talk, yes,” Edelgard said, and Hilda released a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “But ever since I started to like her, it’s been very difficult to keep my composure when we’re not in a professional setting. And that was a few months ago, so I’m worried I’ve completely forgotten how to talk to her without getting nervous,” she continued. Her tone was laced with said nerves, her lavender eyes shiny with unease. Hilda was beginning to feel very bad for the social disaster playing out in front of her.

“Alright,” Hilda replied, changing her strategy. “Maybe you can fill me in on what Byleth is like, from what you remember.” She leaned back further against the headboard, anticipating a show.

Edelgard tilted her head in thought. “Well, she was my international law professor last fall semester,” she began. “Incredible grasp of the curriculum, though her teaching style was a bit… avant-garde.” None of this was helping so far, but Hilda resisted the urge to interrupt, sitting patiently. “She’s a big foodie, and loves to take the office out to new restaurants around town,” Edelgard continued. Hilda nodded, enjoying some actual useful information. “Oh!” Edelgard’s eyes lit up, speaking steadily faster. “And she loves to fish. She goes on trips every other weekend — she has a whole instagram dedicated to her catches.”

So Edelgard did know something about social media, Hilda thought. Though the starstruck look in her eyes over fish, of all things, was likely the weirdest thing she’d seen all day. Strangely charming, too. “That’s… interesting!” Hilda managed, prompting Edelgard to continue.

“That’s… that’s about it, I think,” the other woman said. “I’m sure there’s more, but you are putting me on the spot, here.” Maybe that was the case, though Hilda noted how much more relaxed Edelgard had become after talking dreamily about her crush. Hilda admired the cute look on her face for a good moment before clapping decisively.

“It’ll do for now, then,” she announced, straightening in her seat. “We’ll need you to get Byleth’s number stat, but in the meantime, we can practice flirting.”

The statement was met with a skeptical look. “Flirting? What, with you?”

Her tone was oddly insulting. “Hey, you should be thankful for an opportunity to fake-flirt with me,” Hilda countered. She scooted closer to Edelgard, so their faces were only a foot apart. “But right now, pretend I’m Byleth.”

“That’ll be difficult,” Edelgard said with a roll of her eyes. “You two are pretty different.”

Hilda groaned. She hoped so, considering her standout feature was apparently her love of sitting in boats for long periods of time and divorcing slimy fish from their even slimier guts. But for the sake of this exercise, she would have to play along. “Hey, I like trendy restaurants too,” she teased. “Now,” she breathed, rolling her neck and loosening her shoulders, setting Edelgard with her best vacant stare. “Hey, Edel,” she said flatly, placing a hand on the other girl’s knee. “You won’t believe the size of the trout I caught at the lake last weekend. It was _this_ big.” Her arms spread out as far as Hilda could go, and already she felt a laugh threatening to escape her lips. Edelgard didn’t seem particularly convinced, either.

“Goodness, you’re worse than Dorothea,” Edelgard complained, shaking her head. “Except Dorothea is actually a decent actress,” she added with a smirk.

“Whatever,” Hilda muttered, reverting back to her usual self. “You see what we’re doing? We’re talking. Like normal people. Now you just need to do that with Byleth!” She was over-simplifying, but she had the feeling Edelgard couldn’t handle much more than the basics at the moment. There was still plenty of time before Christmas to get her student to where she needed to be. Hilda leaned back on her hands, surprised by how exhausting that exercise had been.

Edelgard was still fighting off her own fit of giggles, proving that she did, in fact, have a sense of humor. “You make it sound easy. I think it’s good advice, though,” she said, her own voice taking on its usual serious quality again. “I’ll try talking to Byleth normally at lunch tomorrow. Maybe I’ll pretend she’s you, to make it easier.”

“Oh– I mean, if you think so,” Hilda replied, taken aback by Edelgard’s strange logic. She recovered quickly. “And I’ll brainstorm some more ideas to shift you from charming co-worker into potential girlfriend material,” she added with a sly smile. Edelgard frowned, cheeks turning that delightful shade of pink again.

“One step at a time, Hilda,” she said, her voice wavering. She slid back to the edge of the bed, picking up her purse and putting her phone away mechanically. “Anyway, I should get going,” she added.

Hilda bounced up happily to join her. “I’ll walk you out,” she volunteered, strangely energized. They cleared the doorway and thudded down the stairwell, waltzing casually to the foyer. "Talk to you later, Edel!" she said, starting to develop a fondness for that particular abbreviation. Edelgard gave her a shy wave as she returned the farewell and swung open the door.

"Thanks again, Hilda," she mumbled as she stepped out into the cool night air. Of course, with the fleet of lights scattered all around them, there was enough simulated daylight to lift anyone's spirits. "Glad to see this is coming along," she said. It was a genuine compliment, but Hilda noted the hint of expectancy Dorothea had warned her about.

As Edelgard made her exit, Hilda shut away the approaching threat of winter and took a moment to relish her well-deserved moment of silence. The sheer glory of doing nothing. It felt more satisfying than usual, somehow, but Hilda wasn't in the mood to examine that development further.

She wasn't ready to admit that going to the effort of helping Edelgard was actually making her usual laziness feel earned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hilda and Edelgard attend a tree lighting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and happy holidays to everyone! Thank you to all the readers and comments so far; I’m so glad to see you’re all enjoying the story. At some point I hope to address each one individually. :)
> 
> I wish I’d started this story earlier, because at this rate I don’t think I’ll have it finished until a few days after Christmas. ;; So I’m counting on everybody keeping the holiday spirit alive at least until New Years. In the meantime, enjoy this next installment!

It was about two weeks until Christmas, and the Garreg Mach holiday event calendar was in full swing. While actually planning said events wasn’t Hilda’s cup of tea, there was nothing dulling her enthusiasm for participating in the abundant cheer permeating the streets. As such, she was assured to be in attendance at every party, fundraiser and tree lighting in town. Always in her highest spirits and looking her best, of course.

Her ensemble for tonight’s tree lighting was already set, but Hilda had another fashion project in progress. Her room — though still not the tidiest even in the best of times — currently looked like a whirlwind of fabric had blown through it. Dresses, blouses, and scarves lay strewn across her comforter, innumerable pairs of shoes scattered around the floor like tiny land mines. From the doorway to the far wall lay a battlefield of accessories that only the most nimble feet could navigate.

At the center of the chaotic scene was Edelgard von Hresvelg, pinned to the vanity chair like a prisoner of war, her face half-done as Hilda hovered beside her, scrutinizing a palette of eyeshadow. “I’m not a complete amateur, Hilda,” Edelgard began, observing the mess guiltily. “I know how to do my makeup.”

“Oh yeah?” Hilda mewled, swiveling the color selection around in her palm so Edelgard could see. “Then tell me: which of these shades would be best to apply to your crease?”

Edelgard’s gaze flicked down to her outfit, as if that would help. After a brief perusal, she pointed at one of the many squares. “This one is nice,” she tried.

“Wrong,” Hilda responded instantly, dipping her brush into the pigment next to Edelgard’s selection. When she caught the other girl’s frustrated frown, she felt herself soften. “Look, you’re good at professional looks. But this is a party, and you need to loosen up appropriately.” She flashed Edelgard a mischievous smile. “Luckily, you have me to liven up those cheeks and make your lips extra kissable.” Edelgard avoided her gaze, embarrassed, but Hilda cupped her jaw and pulled her back to face her. “Eyes closed,” she commanded, dusting her subject’s lids with shimmer.

Nearly a week had passed since Hilda and Edelgard’s unlikely partnership began. Between their actual jobs (mostly Edelgard’s) and respective hobbies (mostly Hilda’s), the two women hadn’t spent much time together outside of the couple committee meetings they’d attended. Hilda was still zoning out for most of these planning sessions, but Edelgard was beginning to pick up on techniques to keep her sneaky chore-avoider focused.

But Hilda had to admit, reluctantly, that event planning wasn’t a complete drag. Edelgard was detail-oriented but still efficient, and she knew how to play to people’s strengths, including Hilda’s. In this case, the latter’s efforts had been met with periodic updates about Edelgard’s progress with Byleth. When it came to romance, Hilda was the go-to expert, and she relished the way Edelgard looked to her for advice in that department. Even when bombarded with the most basic of questions, helping Edelgard was an entertaining distraction from marketing campaigns and financial discussions.

And tonight, Hilda got to parade the fruits of her labor around downtown. Finishing the last of Edelgard’s eyeliner, she admired her hard work with a pleased hum and ran a hand through Edelgard’s perfectly smooth platinum hair. “All done,” she announced, angling the mirror toward her partner. Edelgard turned her head slowly, examining the perfectly-blended contouring, lips curling slightly upwards and widening Hilda’s own smile even further. “Well? Impressed?”

Edelgard fixed her with a knowing stare, Hilda’s selected shades perfectly bringing out the flecks of indigo scattered throughout her lavender eyes. “It’s lovely. Thank you,” she said. Then, mouth morphing into a smirk: “But we’ve taken so long that we’re going to miss the actual lighting, at this rate.”

Hilda rolled her eyes. “We’ve been over this. For once in your life, you’re going to be fashionably late,” she explained. “And also just fashionable, in general,” she added, eyes scanning the ensemble she’d so lovingly picked out. Combined with Hilda’s own chosen outfit and carefully-applied face, she expected all eyes would be on the two of them when they arrived. “Let’s review the plan one more time,” she prompted, plopping into an armchair.

“Right,” Edelgard replied with a nod. “We begin the evening at the tree lighting courtyard, where we’ll mingle with other guests until the end of the choir show,” she said. “I’ll stick to you until we move on to the bar afterward.”

“And when you spot Byleth?” Hilda asked.

“Wait for her to approach us,” Edelgard answered. That had been a difficult step to sell her on, but Hilda had assured her it was better to stay casual. That, and Hilda absolutely did _not_ trust Edelgard to start a conversation, no matter how well she claimed to be doing on the ‘talking to Byleth at work’ front.

So far, so good. Hilda continued: “I’ll excuse myself to wander around and do my usual socializing thing,” she said. “And that’s your opportunity to turn on the flirting, eventually working your way up to asking her out for coffee.”

“We get coffee all the time,” Edelgard mumbled.

“Yes, but this time the coffee will have actual romantic implications,” Hilda said. How Edelgard would manage to make her intentions clear in such an innocent setting was a bridge they would cross later. “And, most importantly, you’ll ask for her number to confirm plans.” She fixed Edelgard with an expectant gaze, and they exchanged more affirmative nods.

There was one last piece left. “You’re not nervous, are you?” Hilda asked.

Edelgard tilted her head, shiny hair cascading down her arm as it caught the bright lights of Hilda’s room. “Of course I’m nervous,” she muttered, unable to settle her gaze. Hilda opened her mouth to give the pep talk she’d prepared, but Edelgard beat her to it: “I’m not going to let that stop me, though. You’ve put in all this work, and it would be a shame for it to go to waste,” she said, mustering up a smile. It wavered, but then stuck decisively.

“Good,” Hilda said, pleased that Edelgard’s usual confidence was shining through. She rose from her seat, gathered herself and took a deep breath. “Alright,” she said, offering a hand to Edelgard and pulling her daintily to her feet. “I think we’re ready to knock everyone’s socks off.”

—

The initial steps of their plan went off without a hitch. Hubert accompanied them to the town center, looking like a tree himself beside Hilda and Edelgard’s petite forms; the comparison was made more apt by his dark coat and emerald green scarf encasing his neck. As Edelgard had predicted, they missed the initial illumination, but a large crowd was still gathered under the garlands of colorful lights. They huddled together in all manner of peacoats, festive sweaters and bright red hats, clutching complimentary refreshments being distributed at the edges of the courtyard.

Edelgard shivered in her red coat, no doubt wishing Hilda had picked out warmer clothes for her. Hilda stilled her with a hand on her shoulder, placing a warm cup of cider in her hands. “Thank you,” Edelgard said, seemingly surprised by the gesture.

“Look! The singing is about to start,” Hilda squealed, quickly linking arms with the other woman and leading her through the sea of people towards the stage. Several familiar faces were stepping into the spotlights: Dorothea, of course, as well as Manuela and Annette, all in matching velvet dresses.

“Careful, Hilda,” a familiar voice called from just beyond her shoulder. “You’ll stress Hubert out stealing Edelgard away so abruptly like that.” She turned to face a very festive Claude von Riegan, standing out in a bright yellow sweater crossed with green and gold zigzags. Sitting atop his dark curls was a pair of reindeer antlers. “Also, you didn’t wear one of the sweaters I got for everybody,” he added with a playful frown.

“Hello, Claude,” Edelgard said through sips of her drink. “I see you’re as spirited with your housemates as you are in the office.”

He narrowed his eyes curiously. “You seem to be getting pretty cozy with them too, it looks like,” he said, motioning to Hilda. “I take it the lights exhibition is coming along?”

Hilda shushed them both. “Cool the banter while the ladies are performing, would you?” The music was swelling, and they would have to yell over the vocals very soon. Not to mention Hilda didn’t want Claude prying too much into why she was here with Edelgard instead of… well, literally anybody else. She doubted her companion would be very happy if word of their Byleth-related plans reached Claude, of all people.

At some point Hubert caught up with them, this time joined by Ferdinand. They cheered for their fellow housemate as she belted her heart out on the stage, and Hilda took the opportunity to scan the rest of the crowd. She spotted Lorenz and Marianne in sweaters matching Claude’s, though she was relieved to see Leonie had hers tied reluctantly around her waist.

Her observations were interrupted by Edelgard tugging lightly on her sleeve. “Hey,” she whispered. “Do you want some?” she asked, offering her half-empty cider cup.

“Oh, sure,” Hilda replied, happily accepting the drink. “You enjoying yourself?” She realized that this was the first time they’d spent time together in a setting that wasn’t work-related. For some reason, her mind was having a difficult time grasping the concept.

“As much as one can while being subjected to the same holiday songs I’ve already heard a million times since late November,” she said with a chuckle. Hilda looked at her incredulously; was that a joke? She wasn’t aware Edelgard joked. “It would also be nice if I could actually see the show,” she said, craning her neck in an attempt to see over the figures standing in front of them.

Hilda snorted at that. “Why not ask Hubert if you can ride on his shoulders?” she teased. Edelgard was about as thrilled with that idea as Hilda expected, which was to say not at all. “I can ask Claude, too, if it’ll make you feel less embarrassed.”

“I don’t think that would help—”

“Did someone say my name?” Claude chimed in, making Hilda jump a little when he placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. He looked between the two women, eyes glinting with an idea. “Lemme guess— you want a boost to see the show?” Edelgard’s expression was priceless. To be fair, this had happened last year as well. Though mostly Hilda suspected Claude had been eavesdropping.

She looked slyly at Edelgard as she spoke to him. “If you’re offering, then sure,” she said, steadying her hand on Claude’s shoulder as he crouched down to the cobblestone. A quick moment and a head rush later, Hilda was rising above the sea of heads, a cool breeze blowing against her ears. She gave a wave to the stage in hopes of catching Dorothea’s attention briefly; if the diva did notice, she showed no sign of it. Then her gaze fell back down to Edelgard, who was looking up at her incredulously.

“Come on, Princess,” Claude exclaimed, nudging her on behalf of Hilda. “Get into the spirit of the holidays and lighten up a bit!” Edelgard looked pleadingly at Hilda, who only shrugged and smiled.

For a moment it looked like she was turning to Hubert, but Ferdinand stepped in before she could make her request. “Would you like to sit on my shoulders, Edelgard?” he asked. If her face wasn’t already as red as it could possibly get, surely that would have put her over the top. Still, she muttered a defeated agreement and accepted the help.

A smug salute greeted her as she was lifted into the air. “The view is nice from up here, isn’t it?” Hilda asked, resting her forearms on the crown of Claude’s head.

“It’s not bad,” Edelgard said with a tired sigh. “I imagine the spectators behind us aren’t too happy about it, though.”

Hilda scoffed. “They’ll get over it,” she said. “Sometimes you just have to stop worrying about what people think of you!”

Applause erupted around them as the first song came to an end, and they both joined the clapping from their respective perches. Hilda was glad to see that Edelgard wasn’t completely consumed by nerves over their plans for later in the evening. In fact, she almost forgot about their plan as she enjoyed the momentary triumph of seeing Edelgard’s embarrassment fade away to the tune of ‘Jingle Bells’.

—

After the concert ended, the real party began. The moment Hilda had been waiting for finally arrived as she and Edelgard entered the bar and their coats finally came off, revealing the outfits Hilda had so lovingly picked out for them earlier that evening.

Hilda was in a bubblegum pink off-the-shoulder dress, cinched at the waist by a white sash that was looped into a great bow and cascaded down the folds of her asymmetrical skirt. The look was completed by a pair of white leather booties and a multi-tiered crystal necklace that matched the shimmering earrings dangling alongside her rosy cheeks.

For Edelgard, Hilda had selected a sleeveless white turtleneck layered under a bright red peplum top with a wide lapel, framing a sophisticated silver pendant necklace (and giving just a tantalizing peek of skin around Edelgard’s collarbones). The bodice lengthened in the back to form a bustle over a pleated black mini-skirt, accentuating Edelgard’s legs with a pair of sheer tights and thigh-high leather boots. It was, in Hilda’s opinion, the perfect flavor of sexy to go with Edelgard’s more practical nature.

As they marched through the entrance and Hilda felt all the eyes on them, her heart swelled with pride. Her excitement didn’t go unnoticed.

“You’re looking pleased with everyone’s reactions, Hilda,” Claude commented as they approached the bar, giving her another fascinated look up and down. “Though I’m still curious as to what possessed Edelgard to join you in this endeavor.”

“You’re going to have to live with the mystery a bit longer, Claude,” Hilda hummed, feeling Edelgard’s shoulders bump against hers as she tried to get the bartender’s attention. Luckily it didn’t take long.

As their drinks were placed in front of them, Claude gave up his pursuit in favor of greeting several of their friends who’d trickled in from the lighting, though the shimmer in his eyes suggested he wasn’t done prying. Edelgard was being uncharacteristically quiet, and Hilda ran her fingers up the other woman’s back, prompting her. “Everything alright?”

Edelgard nodded, taking a sip of her drink. “It’s just weird to be here dressed like this,” she said, turning to face Hilda.

“What, like a hot girl? I’m surprised you don’t do it more often,” Hilda joked, knowing full well that Edelgard didn’t see the humor in the situation. “I think Claude might be in love,” she added with a smirk. Edelgard definitely sensed the sarcasm there, though it was unclear whether she appreciated it.

“Not the co-worker I’m after,” Edelgard said with a sardonic shake of her head. Then her eyes grew wide as something caught her eye. “Oh, speaking of,” she muttered, her voice stiffening. Hilda followed her gaze and quickly identified Byleth stepping out from the bathroom, dressed in the same leather jacket she remembered from the store.

Hilda gave Edelgard an encouraging pat on the back. “Game time,” she said, getting comfortable in her seat as their target noticed them, striding over with a bewitching smile. The low lighting of the bar definitely did her some favors, reducing the intensity of Byleth’s gaze and surrounding her with an extra air of mystery.

“Hey, ladies,” Byleth greeted them, sidling up beside Edelgard and nodding to Hilda. “Hanging out with Miss Goneril again? I hope this isn’t a work-related conversation.”

When Edelgard failed to respond immediately, Hilda swooped in. “Oh, absolutely not. That isn’t my style,” she improvised, taken aback by the implication: both that she would be caught dead talking about work any more than necessary, as well as the fact that Edelgard had clearly spoken about her to other people. Including her crush.

“Yes,” Edelgard began. “Hilda and I just discovered we have a lot in common while organizing the event.”

“Oh? Like what?” Byleth asked, sounding genuinely curious. Hilda was curious, too, trying her best to hide her surprise at the casual way Edelgard had dropped the lie. It was a good idea, of course, one that had clearly intrigued Byleth and perhaps instilled a bit of jealousy. Enough so that Hilda wished she’d come up with the idea herself.

Edelgard continued. “We both enjoy heights,” she said, glancing slyly at Hilda. “And we both know Claude.”

This conversation was going surprisingly smoothly, and Hilda almost wondered whether the Edelgard she’d seen at the store last weekend had been replaced with a robot. Nonetheless, she’d been given a perfect cue to leave. “Speaking of Claude, I needed to ask him something,” Hilda said, scanning the room. “I’m going to go look for him, if you don’t mind.”

Both women gave her understanding nods as Hilda excused herself, walking briskly away from the bar. After she was a safe distance away her pace slowed as she re-oriented herself, quickly spotting the aforementioned man at a table chatting with Dorothea and Sylvain. Claude eyed her sympathetically. “Aw, did your date get stolen by Miss Eisner over there?”

“Not a date,” Hilda huffed, giving the group a lazy wave as she hopped onto one of the stools.

Claude didn’t appear to be done with his current train of thought. “Not a date? You certainly both look dressed for one.” He shot another glance towards Edelgard at the bar. “Also, it looks like she’s been raiding your closet.”

When she failed to come up with a good enough excuse for their elaborate dress, Dorothea offered an explanation. “Hilda is playing matchmaker for Edelgard and Byleth,” she said. Claude appeared genuinely surprised by this, and Hilda shot Dorothea a nervous look. “Oh, I’ve said too much, haven’t I?”

"Well, Edelgard's crush on Byleth has been pretty obvious, so no secrets spilled there," Claude replied quickly. Hilda stifled a laugh at that, knowing Edelgard would be very upset to know he was onto her.

Sylvain chimed in. "Seeing you go to all this effort to wingman for her is the more confusing part." Claude nodded in agreement as their eyes both settled expectantly on her.

She could easily change the subject. In fact, she sorely wanted to change the subject, but her mouth had a mind of its own. "Oh, but is it really work when it's done for the sake of love?" she asked dreamily. Her eyes flicked quickly to Dorothea, then sharpened when they shifted back to Sylvain. "Careful how you answer that one, pretty-boy."

"I suppose it depends whose love it is," Dorothea offered, looking thoroughly entertained by the whole exchange. "But regardless, I think you've done a great job, Hilda. Edie is looking much more confident out there, and I think your carefree attitude is good for her. I’m glad you’re both having so much fun with this!”

“It’s been great to see you so spirited about the upcoming competition, too” Claude added, reminding them all about the series of events that had somehow led to this moment. “I never thought I’d see the day where Hilda would be so determined to do any form of yard work.”

The target of their comments tipped back another swig of her drink. “Don’t get used to it. This is an exclusive deal. A holiday special, if you will,” she added with a laugh. Her glass settled softly down on the table as Hilda lost herself in thought for a moment. “Honestly, Edelgard has me doing so much for this event, but I’m actually…” she trailed off, giving her friends an uncertain glance. “I’m sort of starting to like it.”

Her innocent musing was met with a complete set of agape mouths. Sylvain spoke first. “Edelgard already frightens me, but this takes the cake. If she can get Hilda of all people to put in effort, I can’t imagine what other extraordinary things she’s capable of.”

Before Hilda could protest, Dorothea was next. “Maybe there’s something — or rather, someone — else Hilda likes,” the songstress contributed, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

Hilda narrowed her eyes at the insinuation, turning to Claude. He met her only with a coy smile, which was somehow more aggravating than actual words.

“That’s it. I’m off to go dance," Hilda announced, downing the rest of her beverage before slamming it down on the wood. She slid defiantly off her seat and stepped towards the back of the bar, where a flash of lights accompanied the remixed melodies of holiday songs. As loud music flooded her ears, Hilda tried to wash out the lasting echoes of the conversation playing through her head.

She didn’t like being on this stupid event committee, and she certainly didn’t like the extra work Edelgard seemed eager to pile onto her. She most definitely wasn’t still thinking about the way Edelgard smiled during the concert earlier, how satisfying it was to watch her reluctance bloom into excitement. How she had so determinedly broken through all Hilda’s attempts at shirking responsibility, and worked her witchy magic to make Hilda actually do work for once.

Hilda was not thinking any of these things, because _she did not like Edelgard von Hresvelg_.

“Hey,” a flat voice called out from somewhere, accompanied by a tap on Hilda’s shoulder. It was unclear how much time had passed, and Hilda took a moment to focus her attention on the source of the sound. Byleth Eisner came into view.

“Oh, hello,” Hilda responded with a weak wave.

“You were with Edelgard earlier, right?” Byleth asked.

Why was everybody always talking about Edelgard? “Uh, yes. Where is she?” Not that she cared, particularly. The question just slipped out.

Byleth’s eyes filled with unsettling concern. “We were talking for a while. At one point Edelgard excused herself to the bathroom, but she’s been in there for a while now.” She paused to let Hilda process the story, shrugging uncertainly. “She might have had too much to drink. I was wondering if maybe I should go check on her—”

“Absolutely not,” Hilda cut in, more aggressively than she’d intended. Before she knew it, she was halfway off the dance floor, Byleth following quickly along. “I’ll go,” she volunteered, lacing her words with sugar. Nothing would worsen this situation more than Byleth holding Edelgard’s hair while she puked, or whatever other weird shenanigans were going on in the restroom.

That response seemed to calm Byleth down, and Hilda gave her another reassuring wave as she marched to the bathroom, a woman on a mission. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she felt partially responsible for it.

Her ears rang as she stepped through the bathroom door, her tipsy head adjusting to the muffled quiet. "Edelgard?" she called, taking a tentative step forward. "It's Hilda," she added, waiting a moment to listen for any suspicious noise. Her gaze honed in on the back stall, the only one that appeared to be occupied. Hilda approached slowly, knocking lightly on the cool metal. "Everything alright in there?"

There was a shuffling and the sound of a latch turning as the door opened a crack. Even in the dim lights overhead, she could make out Edelgard's sullen expression, a puffiness around her eyes that was turning Hilda's meticulous makeup job into a muddy swirl. "I was feeling a bit woozy,” Edelgard mumbled, head bobbing side to side like it was too heavy for her to hold up.

Edelgard startled as Hilda pushed the door open further, slipping inside and locking it behind her. “Are you drunk? I barely left you alone for an hour,” she said, steadying Edelgard’s shoulders.

“Byleth kept buying shots,” Edelgard slurred, a slight whine in her voice. “She can really hold her alcohol,” she added with a loopy smile.

“And you are obviously a lightweight,” Hilda observed softly, looking around to try and find a place for Edelgard to sit down. The toilet seat would have to do, she noted with a frown, and guided the other woman to a more stable position. “You know you can just say no to drinks, right?” She felt like she was speaking to a child. Or at least a very drunk teenager, rather than a full-grown adult.

“I wanted them,” Edelgard insisted with a sniffle that made Hilda’s body tense up. “I thought it would help me lighten up, as you put it.”

Hilda considered, for a moment, that maybe she needed to be more discerning with her advice-giving. “Right. How did that work out for you?”

Apparently Edelgard was still aware enough to not appreciate that comment. “Not great,” she said with a frown, her lower lip trembling. Hilda inhaled, crouching down and bracing herself. She could hear the telltale signs of a sob fighting its way from Edelgard’s throat, could see the threat of tears at the edge of her eyelids. The way she was holding her stomach was not particularly reassuring, either. “I messed up,” Edelgard moaned, hanging her head.

“Tell me about it,” Hilda mumbled, still fighting back the guilt aching in her chest. There was a long pause as Edelgard fixed her gaze on the floor tiles, looking more uncomfortable by the second. After a moment's deliberation, she decided this was her mess to clean up. “But if you’re not going to puke right now,” she continued, popping back up to a stand and offering her hand. “I think we should probably get you home.”

She pulled Edelgard off the seat, holding her waist while she found her balance. “Can you walk?” Hilda asked, and was met with a slow nod.

“Think we can get out of here without anyone spotting us?” Edelgard wondered aloud, keeping a hand on Hilda’s shoulder as they walked.

“We can certainly try,” Hilda said, sharing Edelgard’s desire to not be seen by their friends. After the teasing she’d received earlier, this would not be good for her reputation.

Somehow they managed to successfully evade the eyes of any familiar faces, quickly slipping onto the patio and hailing a cab. Edelgard began drifting off as soon as they got into the car. “Hey, it’s not bedtime yet,” Hilda told her with an encouraging pat on the arm. It was barely 11 PM, much too early to be on drunk babysitting duty, but that was beside the point.

"Sorry," Edelgard replied sleepily, face turning weakly toward Hilda.

“I guess the Byleth nerves got the better of you, huh?” Hilda asked, running a hand soothingly along Edelgard’s arm.

“That’s not it, actually,” Edelgard corrected. “The conversation was going great before I had that last shot.” She took a deep breath, sighing out. “It’s just… all this holiday stuff is stressing me out.” Hilda resisted a snarky response, but Edelgard still managed to sense her intent. “Feel free to say ‘I told you so’, now.”

It wasn’t as satisfying to say when asked for, so Hilda didn’t. “It’s a relief to see you’re just as human as the rest of us,” she said instead. Edelgard caught her gaze for a moment, then dropped it back to the floor of the cab as she shivered again.

Their ride rolled to a stop in front of Edelgard's house, the bright twinkle of lights intruding through the window. "Time to move again, Edelgard," Hilda cooed as she took the other woman's hand and made sure she made it out of the car without any injury. They stood stiffly in front of the front path, Edelgard leaning shakily against Hilda, taking in the contrast of the house's illuminated exterior with its darkened windows. Good. No roommates to see the two of them coming home drunk.

Wait. That also meant Hilda was still on shift to watch the lush.

She sighed as they hobbled up to the front door, where Edelgard spent a frustrating amount of time fumbling for her keys. "Do you want a tour?" Edelgard asked with a smile as they stepped into the foyer. Proving that she had a long way to go before she was sober.

"No, I think we should get you upstairs," Hilda said, ushering Edelgard further ahead. "That's where your room is, right?”

The question was met with a reluctant nod. “Here, I’ll show you,” Edelgard said, before grabbing Hilda’s wrist and bursting into an unexpectedly fast run, padding up to the second floor and shuffling along the long hall carpet to a door at the end. No doubt the master bedroom, Hilda thought.

Not that there was much time to ponder the decor. Hilda flipped on the light switch and motioned to Edelgard. “Here, you should change out of those clothes. I’ll go get you some water from the kitchen.”

As she moved through the dark house on her own, Hilda felt her heart beating quickly. There was something exciting about being here alone with Edelgard, a feeling Hilda quickly dismissed as irrelevant. She focused on the mechanical task of locating a glass, filling it up. Creaking quietly up the stairs, rolling her shoulders, feeling her own inebriation tickling the back of her mind.

“Hey Edel— Oh!” she exclaimed as she walked back into the bedroom, finding Edelgard stripped down to her undergarments and sitting on the bed. “Um… did you want to put on anything else?” she asked, spotting the way Edelgard had left her clothes crumpled on an otherwise spotless floor.

“I didn’t get Byleth’s number,” Edelgard said, ignoring the question. Her teeth gritted into a frustrated groan. “I didn’t even ask her about coffee.”

With a sigh Hilda crossed the room, placing the glass into Edelgard’s trembling hands, closing her own knuckles over the other woman’s to make sure she kept her grip. Edelgard was surprisingly cold. “Don’t worry about it,” Hilda said, patting Edelgard lightly on the back. Her muscles contracted in surprise as Edelgard leaned into her hand, temple resting on the curve of Hilda’s shoulder. “Make sure you drink that,” Hilda added, awkwardly.

“Are you going to stay?” Edelgard slurred before taking a long, satisfied sip of water. She didn’t wait for a response before adding: “I think I’d like for you to stay.”

It was an unexpected request. And Hilda didn’t want to _not_ stay.

“I don’t know, Edelgard. You’re drunk,” she said, ignoring her intrusive thoughts again. “But do you really need me? I think you’re alright here on your own, don’t you think?” Sure, she’d have a wicked hangover in the morning, but Hilda wasn’t particularly concerned for her safety.

“Everybody always thinks I don’t need them,” Edelgard huffed, falling backwards onto the mattress, somehow managing not to spill her water. “Why do you think I end up working so hard?”

Hilda leaned back on her elbows, kicking off her shoes. “I assumed you just enjoyed being busy,” she said.

A giggle escaped Edelgard’s lips. “I do.” Then, after a brief pause: “But that doesn’t mean I don’t need people.”

“You… should act more like it, then,” Hilda said, crawling over to the pillow and pulling back the covers before undoing the sash of her dress.

“What’s a clearer signal than telling others what to do? Though I guess it mostly just gets me called ‘bossy’.” Hilda nudged her back to a seat, uncurling her fingers from the glass and placing it carefully on the bedside table. “Thank you again, Hilda. For all your help with the exhibition.”

She was so used to showing gratitude for others, but Hilda wasn’t usually on the receiving end. “You’re welcome, I suppose,” she mumbled, peeling back the covers and beckoning Edelgard over to the sheets. She could feel her pulse quickening again as Edelgard got closer, enough that she could sense the warmth of her body. “Get comfy,” she said as she pulled the comforter over the other woman, standing to find the light switch again.

“Good night, Hilda,” Edelgard sighed as darkness took over the room, save for the dull glow of the decorations still alight outside.

Hilda returned the sentiment, sliding in onto the other side of the bed, maintaining a comfortable amount of space. It did not take long for the other girl to fall into a liquor-induced slumber, her breath steadying into long, slow undulations. Hilda only wished it had been as easy for her.

All she could think was that her friends were right. Or they _might_ be right, she corrected, which was about as bad. It was only after she’d completely exhausted her mental energy that she passed out, a singular thought following her into her dreams.

That thought being, of course, that there was a non-zero chance that Hilda liked Edelgard von Hresvelg.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her drunken evening, Edelgard nurses her hangover and tries to see things Hilda's way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Hope you all had a good Christmas/Solstice and Happy New Year!
> 
> Despite the holidays being over, this story is still going! I apologize for the delay and how late it is, life has been rough and winter makes my brain foggy BUT everyone's lovely comments have been so encouraging. Thank you for that!
> 
> I'm excited for this chapter for a number of reasons, but mostly because we finally get to narrate from Edelgard's perspective for a bit. ;) Enjoy!

Edelgard's head was pounding as the weight of her evening's decisions settled achingly around her temples, an invisible force pushing down on her chest and refusing to move. She could barely muster up the energy to moan, twisting around sleepily in the tangle of sheets. As her limp arms clawed at her surroundings, the light warmth of another body brushed against her fingertips, flinching at the touch.

"Good morning," Hilda greeted her, head sunk into a pillow as her bored eyes remained fixed nonchalantly on her phone. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"That's… a joke… you're joking, right?" Edelgard replied, the sound of her scratchy voice loud and jolting in her ear. Her arms rose limply in the air, wrapping themselves over her face as she took a deep, labored breath.

"You're calmer than I thought you'd be," Hilda observed, letting her screen plop down onto the comforter and turning onto her side, propping her head up as she smiled at Edelgard. "Any questions? Comments? Concerns?" Each word was like a dart lodging into Edelgard's shoulder.

Flashes of memory guided her as she remembered the half-full glass at her bedside, pushed dizzily to a seat and downed the rest of her water in one go. Her hair swirled furiously around her head, and makeup was still caked on her face. She shivered and pulled the blankets tighter around her, hearing Hilda shift off the bed and pad across the floor.

“You might feel better if you get some food in you,” she suggested, passing in front of Edelgard and rifling through the closet. It was impressive, really, how quickly Hilda made herself comfortable in a new place. “Borrowing this,” she called, waving an oversized sweater in her direction. “You should probably bundle up too.”

Slowly, painfully, Edelgard rose to her feet and hobbled to her drawers, fishing out enough clothes to make herself presentable at the kitchen table.

Between Edelgard's hangover and Hilda's aversion to work, breakfast was a minimal affair of cereal and instant coffee. "It's surprisingly empty in here," Hilda pointed out, taking a stroll around the room with steaming mug in hand. "I guess we aren't the only ones who had a crazy night," she added with a sarcastic laugh.

"It's definitely beginning to feel like the holidays," Edelgard said, massaging her head as she reviewed her calendar. A whole slew of tasks lay ahead of her for the day, but her sore muscles weren't exactly being cooperative.

"What's that?" Hilda asked from over her shoulder, tone accusing.

Edelgard felt her shoulders shrink down. "My to-do list for the day," she mumbled. "Half of it's for the exhibition, so you ought to find it familiar."

"You look like you're in physical pain from reading it," Hilda said, sitting down across from her. "I'm starting to feel like a broken record, but can't you take a break for even a day? It's the weekend!"

Broken record aside, Hilda did have a point. Her recollection of the previous night was patchy, but Edelgard vaguely recalled a similar reprimanding. Something about acting more like she needed people, something about being human. Perhaps it was the migraine still bombarding her face right now, but she was feeling very envious of her not-hungover friend right now. Was friend the word? Was acquaintance more appropriate?

Either way, Edelgard felt a sudden desire to abandon all responsibility. “Do you want to go to the mall?” she asked, placing her phone satisfyingly face-down on the table and resting her chin on her hand.

Hilda didn’t miss a beat. “What, do you have some errands to run there?”

“It certainly wouldn’t hurt to get started on gift shopping,” Edelgard replied, taking another sip of her coffee. “Or it might be fun to just hang out.” When she set her gaze on Hilda, the other woman was looking at her like she’d grown a second head, and Edelgard feared she’d completely misread the situation. Maybe Hilda was neither a friend nor an acquaintance. After a long pause, she shook her head. “Right. I suppose I’ve already taken up too much of your time—”

“No, let’s do it,” Hilda snapped back, her glazed pink eyes regaining some life. “Under one condition,” she added, intertwining her fingers together as she leaned forward. “Absolutely no work-related talk or activities. Just pure, unadulterated frivolity and hangover recovery.”

Something about the word ‘frivolity’ coming from Hilda’s lips was amusing, but Edelgard stifled her laugh and nodded in agreement. “Sounds reasonable enough,” she said, returning her attention to her food. Hilda seemed unable to contain her excitement at the prospect of an afternoon free of any event planning or chores, and Edelgard felt oddly triumphant to have brought on such enthusiasm. It was the exact mood she wanted her acquaintance-slash-possible-friend to be in for her purposes.

Sure, she’d just committed to an afternoon of no work. But Edelgard had another mission she was setting out on for herself. After the previous night’s revelations and challenges, Edelgard was determined to introduce some levity into her holiday season. And to do that, she was going to observe a professional. She was going to solve the mystery that was Hilda Valentine Goneril.

—

Considering what her own house looked like, Edelgard should have felt right at home wandering past elaborate festive window displays, should have marveled at the garlands of trim and ribbon and dangling lights that adorned every possible surface of the downtown shopping center. But after the third instance of hearing ‘Jingle Bell Rock’, she was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

Hilda, on the other hand, ate it all up with a smile, every excited gasp at a miniature Christmas tree or a red and green ‘SALE!’ sign just as genuine as the first. “My brother will absolutely _love_ this,” she said with an exuberant giggle as they stepped out of yet another shop, looping her newest bag across her wrist. “You haven’t gotten anything yet,” she observed, peering at Edelgard’s still-empty arms. “Is there a specific store you’d like to check out?”

“Oh, it’s alright,” Edelgard replied with a shake of her head. “I do most of my gift shopping online,” she explained. “It’s generally easier. I’m surprised you don’t do it, Hilda.”

“I do get some gifts online,” Hilda admitted. “But part of the thrill is going out and seeing all the holiday decorations, or discovering something you normally wouldn’t have looked for.” She was practically skipping down the white tile pathway toward the department store. “Plus, it’s great for people-watching.”

Edelgard peered over the railing and scanned the crowds bustling around on the first floor, gathering around the massive Christmas tree set up in the central courtyard. “I think there’s an ice skating rink set up at the west entrance, too,” she mumbled as they approached the wide doors to Macy’s.

“Speaking of people-watching,” Hilda whispered as they moved past a glass case full of meticulously arranged makeup products. She motioned to one of the fragrance counters, where Edelgard spotted the distinctive haircut of Lorenz Gloucester, chatting up one of the cashiers while Leonie Pinelli stood off to the side, a bored look on her face. “If you ever feel like you’re clueless in the romance department, just remember you’ll never have it as bad as those two,” she added with a smirk.

“Oh?” Edelgard asked, pausing to catch another glance at the pair. Hilda ushered her quickly behind another display, a silent gesture to keep them from being caught staring. “Are they… involved?” She had trouble seeing it, but she also wasn’t well-acquainted with either of them. The sum of her knowledge was a small handful of brief stories from Claude.

Hilda rolled her eyes. “No. But if either of them can get a clue, they might be,” she said. “At this rate, I give them two years. Although…” She scurried to another closer shelf, motioning Edelgard over as she continued to spy on her roommates. “I’m a bit curious to see how this plays out. Lorenz does love his cologne, so maybe Leonie is tagging along to get an idea of what he’d like.”

They leaned against the glass case for nearly a minute, but Lorenz continued to talk the store clerk’s ear off while Leonie’s eyes grew more and more unfocused. “Ugh, this is taking way too long,” Hilda groaned. “Maybe they just need a little push.” Before Edelgard could ask further, Hilda emerged from behind the case, giving her friends a wave. “Hey, you two!” she exclaimed, and Edelgard rushed to follow, praying she didn’t look too ridiculous scurrying along behind the other woman.

Leonie saw them first, giving Hilda a relieved wave and Lorenz a nudge. “Out gift shopping, Hilda?” she asked, catching Edelgard’s eye and tilting her head curiously.

“You got it!” Hilda exclaimed, rustling the bags hanging off her arms. “I assume you are, too? Who’s the lucky lady you’re buying perfume for, Lorenz?” she asked, and Edelgard sensed a certain craftiness in her voice.

“Oh, we’re looking at colognes, actually,” Lorenz corrected her. "Leonie is thinking of buying a bottle for her father, and asked for my advice." Hilda's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the statement, and even Edelgard felt skeptical about Leonie's actual intentions. Luckily, Lorenz was not known to be discerning.

"I'm sure Leonie appreciates the help," Edelgard said, exchanging a look with Hilda, who raised her eyebrows at her knowingly.

Leonie nodded, scrutinizing the fragrance selection. “I do,” she confirmed. It was unclear whether she had caught on to Hilda’s not-so-subtle meddling. “Though I never realized how expensive this stuff is. I’m a bit worried about going over-budget.” Lorenz looked like he was about to chime in, but Hilda spoke before he had the chance.

“It’s for someone you care about though, right?” Hilda asked, staying intentionally vague. “If you’re worried about cost, maybe you could opt for something hand-made? I’m planning to design a set of earrings for Marianne, and I could show you how to make something similar.” Leonie considered the offer for a moment as Hilda’s attention flitted somewhere else. “Anyway, I’ll let you both get back to it,” she said, giving a brief farewell before ushering Edelgard onward.

A giggle escaped her lips once they were out of earshot. “That was entertaining,” she began as they moved through the shoe section. “Maybe two years was an off-base estimate.”

"Yes, it's truly fortunate that you were here to intervene," Edelgard quipped, earning herself an irritated hum from Hilda. Unexpectedly, the gesture only served to egg her on further. "Where would any of us be without the unsolicited help of the self-proclaimed relationship expert? Who happens to be single herself, I might add."

She was unsure which part of her statement offended enough to get a shopping bag swung angrily into her arm, though Edelgard suspected it was the latter. "Hey! Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Hilda growled. "It's _because_ I'm single that I know so much about navigating the social intricacies of dating."

There was an appropriate rebuttal to that, Edelgard was sure, but she was frustratingly too unknowledgeable to find it. Instead she shrugged, rubbing the sore spot on her bicep; Hilda was stronger than she looked. "At some point, you'll have to tell me why a charming girl such as yourself remains so unattached," she mused. It wasn't something that had occurred to her before, but now Edelgard found herself overcome by a great curiosity. "Take that sales clerk who helped you at the sports utility store, for example," she began, remembering the young man who'd so eagerly escorted Hilda around the store on a mission to find a gift for her older brother. Sure, there'd been the usual retail friendliness, but Edelgard definitely sensed some flirtatious undertones. "He was properly smitten with you, I think."

Hilda blinked at her. "Properly…" she muttered, processing the comment.

"Do you deny it?" Edelgard asked.

"No," Hilda replied with a shake of her head. "But I just acted like I always do when I want someone's help." Her brow was furrowed, her eyes lost in thought much more than Edelgard would have expected, and she almost regretted bringing it up.

Then Hilda gave another, shorter shake, her gaze brightening again. "I'm too hungry for this conversation," she said decisively. "How about lunch? I know a great cafe down the street."

"I could eat," Edelgard considered, allowing Hilda's not-so-subtle change of topic. She followed the other woman toward the mall exit, setting aside yet another aspect of her acquaintance — almost friend, even — she had yet to decipher.

—

Since the tree lighting, the streets of downtown had been transformed into a bustling holiday village: a cheerful, rustic-chic compliment to the more sleek aesthetic of the mall's tinsel adornments. Swathes of the cobblestone roads had been closed to traffic to allow for increased foot traffic, as well as to establish a temporary ice skating rink that acted as a centerpiece to the vibrant shops and restaurants lining the sidewalks.

From their modest table — nestled strategically under a heat lamp — Edelgard and Hilda had a clear view of the skaters circling around the square. They sipped on mugs of hot cocoa, digesting their respective meals in tranquil silence.

A familiar face wobbling on the ice caught Edelgard's attention. "Isn't that Lysithea?" she asked. Another of Hilda's roommates, she thought, watching as Lysithea clung nervously to the edge of the rink. "Looks like she's having some trouble." As she said it, Edelgard spotted another petite figure in a white and royal blue coat glide gracefully over, her short ginger hair fluttering around soft cheeks.

"Annette must have invited her," Hilda said, watching the two women intently. Annette was taking Lysithea's hands and luring her away from the wall, smiling widely. "Goddess," Hilda sighed. "Aren't they just the cutest? Lysithea is crazy about her."

Edelgard remembered listening to Lysithea's detailed account of their first date, several months before. "Let me guess," she began, glancing at Hilda. "You had something to do with their getting together?"

"Only a little," Hilda whispered, her nose scrunching playfully. Edelgard expected a boastful elaboration, but Hilda was more careful after Edelgard's earlier teasing. Instead her gaze lingered dreamily and quietly on the scene playing out before them. "Let's go say hello," she eventually suggested, setting her empty mug down and rising from her seat. As they approached, Lysithea appeared to have finally ceased her endeavors, giving Annette a quick squeeze before making her way shakily to the exit.

She spotted them as she stepped off the ice, looking curiously from Hilda to Edelgard as she plopped down onto one of the benches. "Hey, Lysithea," Hilda cooed as the amateur skater worked to unlace her boots. "Giving up so soon?"

"Just a break," Lysithea replied, orienting herself toward the ice so she could watch Annette continue to dance pirouettes across the rink. "Though I doubt I'll ever reach _that_ level," she marveled as Hilda sat down beside her. Edelgard remained standing, eyes on the crowd, another set of faces drawing her attention.

"Ah, Caspar and Linhardt are here too," she observed. Unlike Lysithea and Annette, the men were neither beginners nor experts, and moved leisurely over the ice. Precocious as he was, Caspar kept himself busy attempting tricks with varying success rates while Linhardt watched with cool amusement. "Are you on a double-date?" she asked, mostly in jest, growing impressed by the number of couples they'd already encountered.

Lysithea made a curious face somewhere between annoyance and acceptance. "Not intentionally," she replied, just as Annette passed a fallen Caspar, joining Linhardt in yanking him to his feet. "At least they're all getting along today," she added with a sigh.

Before they could dig further into that statement, Annette was making a beeline for the benches. For all her elegance on the ice, she nearly tripped as she returned to solid ground; with reflexes quicker than Edelgard had ever seen, Lysithea moved to catch the redhead before she made contact with the asphalt. "Thanks, Ly," she mumbled, cheeks red with embarrassment as she regained her balance. "Oh! Hey, you two," she added brightly after spotting Hilda and Edelgard. "Here to skate?"

The idea hadn't occurred to her, and Edelgard found herself looking to Hilda for an answer. "We just ate, so probably not," Hilda said, in a tone suggesting that 'probably' was more of a 'definitely'. Lysithea appeared relieved by this.

"We've been here a while, 'Nette," Lysithea pointed out, giving her date a light squeeze on the shoulder. "When are we expected at Mercedes' place?"

Annette’s eyes widened in realization. "Shoot, I almost forgot about that!" she said, slipping a hand into her pocket to consult her phone.

"We've got holiday baking plans," Lysithea explained, the anticipation clear on her face.

"Uh-oh," Annette winced, her eyes flicking up from her screen. "Mercie says her oven is acting up, and she can't get anyone over to fix it until Monday." Lysithea’s smile turned to concern as she searched for a response. Annette turned to her, biting her lip before speaking again. "Do you think we could maybe—"

"You should come over to our place!" Hilda chimed in enthusiastically, retrieving her own phone. "I'll double-check with the rest of the house, but I doubt anyone will complain about more baked goods during the holidays. Right, Lysithea?" Her roommate gave her a tentative nod, taken aback by the quick suggestion. "Ooh, maybe we can add some holiday crafts to the agenda? I told Leonie I’d give her some pointers, so she might appreciate that."

Edelgard watched as a litany of chatter broke out amongst the group, working out the details of their updated plan. Finally, as if only just remembering, Hilda drew her attention with a hand on her shoulder. "You should join us!" Her face had been overtaken by a determination Edelgard didn’t recognize, enough so that she couldn't imagine disappointing Hilda by declining. Not that Hilda waited for a response, clearly assuming Edelgard would be in attendance regardless.

Annette gathered herself, bright with excitement that her plans were both safe and blooming into a larger affair. "I'll need to help move supplies over from Mercedes' place, then," she announced, taking Lysithea's hands as they said their temporary farewells. “See you all later!”

And just like that, Edelgard's leisurely, work-free afternoon was granted an unexpected extension into the evening.

—

By seven-thirty, Hilda's living room was shrouded in a cinnamon and pine-scented cloud, warmed by the huddle of guests gathered around the coffee table and hot mugs of tea wafting steam through the air. Mercedes and Annette stepped in from the kitchen, having just placed a batch of cookies into the oven. They settled down next to Lysithea as she deftly maneuvered scissors around white paper, the latest in a series of hand-cut snowflakes that were accumulating on the wide front windows.

An impressive collection of craft supplies was distributed around the room, and Edelgard watched as Hilda walked Leonie through a series of wire wrapping techniques, a pair of pliers in her hand. Marianne was seated beside her on the couch, making progress crocheting a scarf for an undisclosed recipient. “What are you working on, Edelgard?” she asked, rousing her from her dazed observations.

Edelgard’s gaze dropped down to the case of beads and the thread she was weaving with her hands, a heavy how-to book open on her lap. “Bracelets for Dorothea and Petra,” she replied, trying to keep her hand steady as she maneuvered another bead onto the thread. “Though it’s been a long time since I’ve worked on a DIY project like this, so I’m not sure how it’ll turn out.”

“What you’ve got so far looks great, Edelgard,” Hilda chimed in, leaving Leonie to her work. “Don’t be afraid to stray from the directions, though,” she added, eyes scanning the page Edelgard was closely scrutinizing.

“Maybe once I get a handle on the basics,” Edelgard replied, though she appreciated the encouragement. Like with fashion and makeup (and apparently other people’s relationship troubles), Hilda demonstrated an impressive confidence with crafts that Edelgard had no choice but to appreciate. And when her hands were occupied, she found it infinitely easier to avoid stray thoughts about her unfinished errands. Even if she was growing more and more dissatisfied with what she was making.

Annette took a long look around the room. “It’s so strange being back here,” she said, reaching for a pair of scissors.

“But weren’t you here just last week, Annie?” Mercedes asked with a sly giggle. “And Lysithea is in your old room, no less,” she added, flashing her a teasing smile. Edelgard watched Annette and Lysithea exchange embarrassed looks, stopping only after the latter caught her staring.

A beeping from the kitchen interrupted the conversation, much to Annette's apparent relief as she leaped from her seat to excuse herself back to the kitchen. Mercedes watched her fondly before turning back to the group, another thought crossing her face. "The outdoor decorations are looking fantastic, by the way," she said. From her position she had a clear view of the yard, of the lights dangling from the rafters and the impressive assortment of fixtures arranged on the lawn.

"We have Hilda to thank for that," Leonie chimed in, nudging the girl next to her. "And Edelgard, for being so understanding with us decorating newbies," she added.

Marianne nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's exciting to be a part of the lights show. And Hilda has been so motivated lately, " she commented. After realizing the implication, she quickly added: "Oh, not that she isn't usually motivated…"

"It's alright, Marianne," Hilda began, her expression neutral. "I know it's odd for me to willingly take on responsibility. But I'm excited about the holidays, so helping organize the exhibition hasn't been as much of a drag as I thought it would be," she admitted, catching Edelgard's eye for a moment. The latter smirked, suspecting Hilda's friends were unaware of the dubious circumstances Edelgard had ensured her participation with.

Before the matter of Hilda's work ethic could be further scrutinized, footsteps sounded again over the wood as Annette returned with a plate of fresh cookies. “The moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived!” Lysithea announced mirthfully, bouncing to her feet and giving a dramatic bow as she motioned to a blushing Annette. The baked goods were set down on the table to a round of cheers as the group took a momentary break from their creations.

Blissful smiles broke out on everyone’s faces as they tasted the confections. “These are _amazing_ ,” Leonie mumbled through chews. Mercedes sampled one as well, looking distractedly down the hall.

“I should probably get to work on washing the dishes,” she mumbled, moving to rise from her place. Edelgard shook her head, motioning the other woman to stay.

“Please, let me,” she offered. “You spent all that time baking already, and doubled the original batch you had planned. It’s the least I can do.” Mercedes exchanged a look between Annette and Lysithea, the three of them coming to a silent agreement. Edelgard stood, only half-aware of her actions as she made for the kitchen. “Hilda, would you like to help?” she asked, instinctively and unthinkingly.

The fawning over cookies slowed to a halt as everyone’s eyes pointed first at Edelgard, then expectantly toward Hilda. Her own face was overtaken by mild shock, and several agonizing seconds passed as Edelgard felt everyone’s attention wash her in embarrassment. “It, uh,” she fumbled, regretting putting her acquaintance on the spot. “It would go faster with two people—”

“Of course, Edel,” Hilda replied with a bright smile on her face, ignoring the incredulous glances redirecting to her. “We wouldn’t want you in there all by yourself,” she added, strategically framing her statement to make it seem like she was doing Edelgard a _favor_ , of all things. Or perhaps Edelgard was merely overthinking again.

Regardless, Hilda stood to join her, and they made their way to the kitchen. “Sorry,” Edelgard muttered, but her cleaning companion only waved her off.

"Don't worry about it," Hilda replied as they crossed through the doorway, smooth hardwood giving way to cool tile. She stepped over to the sink, procuring a bottle of cleaner. "You made a good point, and it was very nice of you to volunteer." Her voice was relaxed, no hint of the strain Edelgard expected.

She tentatively picked up a bowl and moved to the sink, watching Hilda begin to wipe down the counter before turning on the faucet. "It was also very nice of you to invite me," she said, reaching for the dish soap. "Hopefully this doesn't violate that 'no work' rule we agreed on," she added with a chuckle.

Hilda considered the statement with an amused hum. “I suppose I can make an exception,” she decided, shuffling over the tile as she continued to nonchalantly tidy. Edelgard resisted the urge to turn around and monitor Hilda’s efficiency. “You did such a great job at the mall earlier, so why not reward yourself with a little cleaning?” She nearly managed to say it with a straight face. Nearly.

"Glad to have your blessing," Edelgard said, placing the cleaned bowl in the drying rack. When she turned around, Hilda was leaning idly against the edge of the granite countertop.

"Well, that's assuming you actually enjoyed yourself today," Hilda clarified, arms crossed inquisitively. "You did have fun, right?"

Edelgard feigned consideration. "As much as one can while nursing a hangover," she said, assessing her current state of wellness. The morning's headache was long gone. "Which, as it turns out, is still quite a lot," she added, stepping over to the stove and picking up one of the used baking sheets before returning to the sink. As she reached for the sponge again, Hilda sidled up next to her, their shoulders bumping together as Edelgard scrubbed away.

"You say that," Hilda began, brushing her fingertips against the top of Edelgard's arm. "But you seem pretty tense now."

Her focus remained fixed on cleaning, rolling her shoulder blades back as Hilda's hand dropped away. "Perhaps I could use more practice," she replied, running the soapy pan under the water. "With relaxing."

"Is this your weird way of saying you want to hang out more?" Hilda asked, a hint of exasperation in her voice. Edelgard handed her the rinsed dish, and Hilda promptly dried it off with a dish cloth, leaving her side to put it away into one of the cabinets. The sudden coolness was more noticeable than Edelgard expected.

Brief fragments of the bar bathroom, of the darkened front hallway flashed through her mind. "If last night is any indication, I still have plenty to learn from you. We may as well have fun with it." Another thought, this time of Hilda's arms leading her out of the car, her hands pulling a blanket over her. "Assuming you're not about ready to give up on me."

"Edelgard."

Hilda's voice cut through the kitchen, sending goosebumps over her cool arms. She turned, slowly, finding Hilda with an annoyed look on her face and her foot tapping against the refrigerator door. "Yes?" Edelgard asked tentatively.

The other woman took a breath before continuing, holding Edelgard's gaze. "Why did you ask me to go shopping today?"

She looked down to the floor, unable to shake the guilty feeling in her chest. "I… thought you would enjoy it, considering all the trouble I caused you at the tree lighting," she managed. Hilda's annoyance turned to mild surprise, easing Edelgard's nerves. "Plus, I figured being around you would make it easier to let loose." As the words left her mouth, Hilda's expression turned more and more into casual disbelief.

"Wow," she said, staring dumbly ahead.

"It sounds stupid when I say it out loud," Edelgard sighed, her hand moving instinctively to the back of her head. It wasn't often that she found herself unable to properly explain herself. "Sorry."

"No, it's not stupid," Hilda assured her. Then, peering up toward the ceiling: "Well, it's a bit odd," she corrected, fidgeting with her wrist and scrunching her nose. "But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at this point."

Of course, Edelgard thought. They were both so different from one another, it was no surprise that Hilda was so consistently dumbfounded by her words and actions. She shrugged, eyes sympathetic as Hilda rolled hers. "Please don't apologize again. It's not a big deal," Hilda added with a dismissive wave.

Edelgard sighed. "I suppose it isn't to you. You don't have any trouble with taking a break," she began, carefully modulating her voice so as not to sound critical. "And you can charm just about anyone effortlessly,” she added, in the hopes that would make her positive tone clear.

Hilda put a hand to her cheek, as if that would hide how pink they were turning with embarrassment. "Goodness, what's with all the compliments?" she asked, averting her gaze. It was all precise movement, enough so that Edelgard couldn't determine how genuine a reaction it was. "All of that… it's just natural. It's easy," she said, softly, and that at least felt real.

"Yes, that's what I mean," Edelgard began. "You couldn't possibly understand what it's like for me, you know?" She paused, ready for a protest, but Hilda simply stood patiently. "To be so restless without work, to find it so difficult to relax." She hesitated before adding: "To be so nervous around someone you like."

"Edelgard…"

"I suppose I'm trying to say thank you for all the help," she continued, stumbling her way through her words. "Even if I did a terrible job following your advice." Again, she was thinking of Byleth, of the scent of alcohol. Of the scent of Hilda's perfume lingering in her bedroom, different from the one she was wearing today.

A hand landed on her shoulder. "Hey," Hilda said encouragingly. "You did just fine. Nobody gets it right the first time." She gave Edelgard a couple light pats before retracting her arm, her voice darkening. "And you're wrong about me, you know. I get plenty nervous." There was a pause, a gulp as she looked Edelgard in the eye. "You make me nervous, actually."

The words sparked several emotions in Edelgard, the most dominant one confusion. "You don't seem very nervous right now," she said, noting the way Hilda still managed to hold her gaze, to stand tall without shaking.

"Just trust me," Hilda said.

Curiosity took hold next, lips curling upwards. "What, are you afraid I'll ask you to do more hard work?"

As if specifically trying to prove her wrong, Hilda averted her eyes. "That's…"

Her already flushed cheeks burned further. "Oh," Edelgard breathed. "You _are_ nervous. Fascinating." She took a step forward, her face inches from Hilda.

"Edelgard." Hilda's voice was forceful, almost combative. And from this distance, she didn't have much choice but to look at her. And her chin had to tilt ever so slightly upward to do so.

"What?" Edelgard whispered, her brain a jumble, as if breaking Hilda's guard had fueled some unknown part of her.

"You're in my space," Hilda whispered back, teeth just shy of gritted.

"And that makes you nervous," Edelgard stated. Her hand twitched, moving upward slightly. Instinctively, Hilda's shot out to curl around her wrist, palm clapping against the skin.

"Yes!" she insisted, squeezing further and tugging lightly. Edelgard's eyes flicked to their hands, then went back to staring.

"Right," she said, letting her wrist go limp so that only the force of Hilda's grip was holding her arm up. "Have you considered letting go, so I can move?"

Hilda narrowed her eyes, lowering her hand before finally releasing. In the moment, Edelgard could not help but think about the stubbornness wafting off Hilda's skin, practically searing the air around them. Her fingertips brushed against Hilda's wrist, tentatively taking hold. She expected a push, a step away, but Hilda held her position. Edelgard leaned forward, her mind running on a single track.

The last thing she saw before closing her eyes was Hilda's lips parting, close enough to feel her inhale the air between them. After that, Hilda was inhaling her. Edelgard tasted bubble gum.

But it was only for a moment, one that still went on a moment longer than Edelgard expected — what she would have expected, if she was capable of any thought at all. They shared a moment of shock, of eyes wide. "I–" Edelgard stuttered. "I'm–" She bit back an apology, already imagining Hilda's reprimand in her head.

"I'm sorry," Hilda cut in.

"For what?" Edelgard shot back, finally aware of Hilda's fingers digging into her blouse. Before any more could be said, Hilda was watching her expectantly, invitingly. Edelgard kissed her again, and this time Hilda pulled her in, didn't let her back out. An electric exuberance took hold of her as she pushed Hilda against the fridge, shuddering as hands fluttered along her waist.

Then a clatter rang through the kitchen and beyond as Hilda's back slid along the door behind her, knocking several magnets and papers down to the floor. They gasped apart, bodies tensing as Edelgard took a step back, both their attentions moving to the doorway.

"Everything alright in there?" Leonie called from the living room, and Edelgard looked back to Hilda, collective panic blooming on their faces. Hilda moved past her, peeking her head into the hallway.

"Absolutely! We're almost done cleaning," she called, and with the other woman's back turned Edelgard took the opportunity to collapse her body against the refrigerator, elbows and foredhead digging into the cool metal as her body curled defensively. She took a deep breath and managed to regain her composure as Hilda returned.

"I should go," Edelgard blurted out, patting her pockets in a single brief moment of foresight before sidestepping toward the back door.

"Wait," Hilda said, reaching for her arm. "Edelgard, I–" she bit her words back, trying not to draw their friends' concern again.

"You're confused," Edelgard observed, sliding out of her grip. "I'm confused," she added, more certainly, and promptly turned on her heels to leave. She didn't stop until the cold night air blew harshly against her skin, her jacket still draped across one of the chairs in Hilda's living room. But it was too late to turn around.

Her feet were bare, too, sprinting across cement and asphalt until she was through her front door, padding up the stairs. By the time she flopped down onto her bed with her face smothered in a pillow, her breath came out so strongly that she would have sworn she'd been holding it the entire way home.

"That happened," she sighed to herself as she turned onto her back, chest still heaving as all her collective nerves finally bubbled to the surface and rattled her body.

As feeling and awareness seeped slowly back into her, a deluge of thoughts finally began to flow through her head.

The first, yelling above the others: she kissed Hilda Goneril.

Then, shouting even louder over that one: there was a non-zero chance she'd liked it.


End file.
